


Interlaced

by JulesM (snarglebritchet)



Series: Parallels [2]
Category: Whateley Academy
Genre: F/F, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:09:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 121
Words: 252,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28858632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarglebritchet/pseuds/JulesM
Summary: Sequel to Parallels, another non-canon unashamedly self-insert Mary-so-sue-me Whateley Academy tale. See http://whateleyacademy.net/ for details of the setting.This is the ongoing serial that follows the adventures of my OC, Parallel, after the events of Parallels.
Series: Parallels [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2116215
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that this story contains relationships between people who look underage but technically are adult at least in experience (Sara and Jules), and people who are actually underage (Paige and others). The characters are "mutants" with superpowers, or in some cases non-humans with mutant-like powers. They are all teenagers in a high school for mutants hidden away in a valley in the New Hampshire Presidential mountain range. This story relies on backstory information from the W.U. canon stories up to Jan 1st 2007 but can be read, if perhaps confusing, without it. It follows chronologically from Parallels, picking up right where that ended.
> 
> This story was written in Markdown. I have attempted to manually convert the formatting of section breaks.

# # Part one

****Saturday 6th January, 2007, Whateley****

The body I have in Schuster Hall shakes hands with my newly assigned academic advisor, Miss Terri Larson. The school laptop she gave me is under my arm. "Thank you again. I know I'm probably a bit of a handful to work with."

"I'm sure we shall get along wonderfully", she says in reply, and parting. "I'll see you next week."

I head out towards the quad. This is going to be a busy but good term. I've picked up a class load that no single human could handle. But then, I'm not really either of those.

At the same time, in Sara's room over on the other side of the campus, the me that's over there, and about two thirds naked, luxuriates in the afterglow of a really nice orgasm. Jet's hand is still down my half-off skirt, and full of my parts, which I really need to stop being so squeamish about. That is my *cock*, that is my *clit*. Yes, I have both. Yes, it is very nice, thank you very much. Over on the bed, catgirl Paige is curled, panting and purring and ear-twitching in Sara's lap, herself also very much in the afterglow - literally, she's still lit up electric blue from the inside, it's really quite lovely. "Thank you, Jet, it was wonderful" I say. She just kisses me for a reply.

I walk across the quad, looking around, the school is starting to look busier than I've ever seen it, although with parents and families around it's a red flag day, so everyone is pretending to be normal. Still cold, but the sun is out, a nice day. Snow lying around in piles reflects the blue sky, and I wince at a sudden flashback to the events of yesterday. Okay, so maybe I *do* need to see the shrink. Which means I need to head over to the Doyle Medical building, the first place on Whateley I ever saw - although I presume, not the same part of it.

In fact, it turns out it's a different area of the building entirely, one that makes a lot more effort to emphasize the calming over the clinical. There are houseplants and decorative rocks. Even the waiting area seats are plush. However, I don't end up using them, as I'm shown straight through to the doctor's room.

"Welcome, come in, I'm Doctor Alfred Bellows." He's an older man with greying brown hair. We shake hands, "Please, take a seat. Would you like anything, coffee, tea?"

The sofa is slightly cliche but very comfortable. "Coffee, please. Milk, no sugar." Vices from another, older life. It's a very nice office. Cosy, looks lived in without being cluttered. I put the laptop on the floor beside me, carefully.

He makes up coffee with a plug in kettle and a drip filter, and hands me a mug. "Alright", I ask, "Shall we get started? I take it patient confidentiality begins immediately?" I'm not normally this abrupt, but I'm feeling jumpy.

On the other side of campus, I'm getting re-dressed in a hurry, as Sara has let us know that folks from her pack are on their way, ones who I hadn't met yet. While I probably am going to end up naked around them, it might not be the best first impression. Jet, who doesn't have any clothes to tidy, is helping grab clothes for me. "I'll return the favour later", I promise. She grins and hugs me. "I'll look forward to it."

"Yes it does", says Dr Bellows, taking a seat opposite me, "And yes, let's begin. Why don't you tell me something about yourself. And how you're feeling." So, time for the big spiel, I guess.

"I'm a time and world traveller", I say. "I arrived here four days ago, Monday oh dark hundred AM, literally on fire with mutant burnout after manifesting in another world and teleporting out of control across universes. I landed in a snowdrift, died, and regenerated my full body to match a new, female template. My original powers are very high regeneration, high warping, and mid-low exemplar. I've had some help to expand my warper power, and stretched into and through it. A certain someone has, with my full consent, sparked certain changes in me. As of now, then, what I am is a pre-larval great old one in potential, with thousands of simultaneous minds, as many simultaneous bodies as I please, I read whole libraries in a morning, I have gravity sensing and gravity manipulation power, and I can use that to cast impenetrable shields and to fly, badly. And some other things we might talk about later. Oh, and I used to be trans. Now I'm cis, but conspicuously intersex when naked."

"Well", he says, and has to pause a moment to absorb all that. "I did read your latest updated report, but it seems they don't even know the half of it. That's quite a mouthful. And all of this since Monday?"

"Yeah", I admit. "If I couldn't lucid dream in a dozen concurrent parallels, I'd be having debilitating nightmares about it. And a few other things that happened, like when I got kidnapped on Thursday and threatened with being gutted, because somebody wanted to forcibly divide me from my best friend. Or when I got my brain stolen off inside an alien spaceship yesterday and had to delete my original body."

I may be breaking his brain a little. "My empathy tells me you're speaking the absolute truth, and if anything holding back on my behalf. But... wow." He stops to sip his tea. Presumably making some time to process.

"Yeah, wow", I agree. "it has been an eventful few days."

Sara's room still smells of sex, but I expect the folks coming in and giving her and the others hugs are used to that. I'm introduced to Hippolyta (gigantic, nearly bumps her head on the high ceiling, short golden curly hair, a bit abrupt), Feral (lean, sharp, stop-flicker animal-like movement, messy hair, doesn't talk much), Gypsy (dresses the part, dark longer hair, Rider-Waite tarot in a hip holster), and Heyoka (uncategorisably androgynous and cute). I get to do an abridged version of the spiel for them too. I did read a little about them, but I don't have any of their secrets. I'll leave explaining that for later. Instead, we start to swap stories about how we met Sara, and our adventures.

Over in the doc's sofa, I explain to him that my latest adventure has left me with a flinch at the colour blue. He wants to know why. I weigh Sara's earlier advice to clam up, which is good for faculty in general, but, maybe there's a time and a place. "Okay, doc, here's the thing. I don't want this getting out of the room. Not in conversation, not in notes. It could endanger my life and would certainly complicate it, and it wouldn't genuinely help the school to know it, because I have absolutely no intention of being a danger to anybody. I need a promise, or it will just have to be the unspecified thing."

He sighs, frowns, steeples his fingers. "That's asking a lot, you know? It's asking me to put a lot of people's lives at risk on your bare word." He looks at me, sharply. I nod, showing I understand. "But I can feel you're sincere, and you really do need to talk about it. Very well. Please don't make me regret this. You have my promise."

I nod. "Alright. Shielding isn't the only gravity power I synthesized. There is another. Discontinuity knife." And I explain how I can cut things by using my warper power to create a thin line of separation in the fabric of space itself. "The trouble is, it doesn't just cut matter. It cuts atoms, it cuts molecules. And whatever is left dangling thrashes around, kicking out high energy particles. And a pretty sky blue light from Cherenkov radiation."

He winces. "I don't know much physics, but that's what makes a reactor glow, right? That's far more radiation than it's safe to be around."

"Would have killed me yesterday morning when I discovered it, if I wasn't a regen six", I agree. "Did kill me, yesterday evening, when I cut an alien starship in half with it. The radiation was bad enough it was making sparkles directly in my visual cortex. You can see why I don't plan to pull that out and wave it around on campus."

He nods, looking a bit ill. "Eventful", he repeats. "Yes, please do not pull that out anywhere in, around or near the school. Or human habitation. Or yourself."

I nod. "In that one case, it was needs must, and I could dismiss the irradiated body anyway, although it was my original, it was already beyond repair. That, losing my original, bothers me too."

He makes some notes, and sighs. "I can see how it would. That was the one with the kidnapped brain, right?" I nod. "Devisor medicine can reinsert brains, but it's experimental and can fail."

"That one was halfway across the solar system and in enemy hands", I add. "Not really a repairable circumstance. Thankfully, and this may be down to my luck power, I had a backup body left behind on Earth that they missed, probably because it was injured and unconscious."

"Or else you would have had to dismiss your last one", Dr smart cookie says.

I nod. "And getting back from that would be hard. I wouldn't be dead exactly, my non-physical extension remains conscious when my body is KO'd. But I'd not have any material body to copy to recreate myself."

He rubs his forehead. "I can see this is going to be interesting. But, in the end it comes down to very human fears. Pain. Death. Being lost. Being separated from loved ones and beloved places. I can lead you through those."

I nod. "Add in becoming inhuman, which I've chosen, but I'm also having to gradually deal with."

"A common fear among mutants. We normally explain that a mutation, even a major change of form, doesn't end your humanity. But you're implying you've begun a process that is different from regular mutation?"

"A change of form of soul. Where what you'd normally be pointing out to anyone else sat here, is that a mutant's soul is still human, mine is gradually becoming *not*. I expect that my form of mind will change too. Continuing the change that has already begun."

"Why don't you run those changes by me in a bit more detail?"

The group over in Sara's room has reduced back down to me, Jet, Paige and Sara, the ones without other places to be. I relate my decision, to tell the doc, and she agrees, "Doc Bellows is trustworthy. Good call. He'll help you deal with it."

My turn to snuggle with Sara on the bed. Jet is floating and "guarding". Paige gets to be petted kitty beside us. I ask, "Are you holding a lot of charge right now, Paige?", because I'm a bit jealous only Sara, who can shrug off electrical shocks, gets to pet her.

"Dun think so", she says in a lazy satisfied voice. "'I'm really really relaxed right now."

I carefully try petting her with the back of my hand - snap! ow, involuntary jerk back. "Body, learn to handle this!" I say out loud. Snap! ow again. Snap! I think that was less ow.

Sara giggles. "I like how you think." Watches me make another attempt, and another.

It's fairly definitely less ow, now. "Sara, can you scan me and see if my body is really learning, or I'm just numbing myself with abuse?"

She nods. "Okay, but this is gonna look gross." A wiggling fur of teeny tiny tentacles appear on the palm and fingers of her hand, and she reaches to grasp my arm.

"You forget I think your tentacles are cute", I tease, as a weird chilly sensation goes up my arm. I watch with curiosity, sure I can see wiggling under the skin. Then it withdraws and she lets go.

"Flatterer. And yes, your nerves are learning to grow insulated sheaths, and your skin is learning to be conductive over the surface. I'm a little impressed."

I reach out carefully with the front of my hand, and try petting Paige, ignoring the stinging and cramp until it slowly loosens, then I find I can run fingers through her fur, with a slight smell of ozone. And she purrs. Oh my goodness that is a heavenly noise. "Yay! Paige petting, achieved." Which makes everyone giggle.

"Now to train your tongue", Sara teases me. "I saw how you were looking at her earlier. She has such a pretty blue glow."

"I very want", I admit. And pretty Paige has a boner again.

In the doc's office, I explain. "I found I could contact what I call parallels, possible selves, through the "sideways" alterations my benefactor made to my warping. They aren't sapient people, only potentials that I can make real. From my perspective, they're minds that connect to mine at so fundamental a level I can treat them like threads, or parallel processes. We can work on things in gangs, to increase our mental capacity, or separately, set things to run in the background, break a task into a pipeline and stream information through it, or use one group to dive into another's workings. I set to work on my own mental processes, and now I'm lucid and in control at nearly all levels of my mind, including subconscious, dreams, even the nonphysical extensions into soul, to a limited extent. More of me is outside my brain, than in, now. I can stay conscious through physical unconsciousness. I can sleep and be awake at the same time. And, through some work at a soul level, I've worked out how to introduce new copy bodies into physical reality, or withdraw them. Each body is completely me, run by as many parallels as I need."

"I'm a little surprised, given the level of control you describe, that you need my help at all."

"I have all the tools", I say. "Doesn't mean I know how to use them. It would be bad to just shut down symptoms until something more fundamental breaks, or monkey around and lose something important."

"Ah, understood." He looks thoughtful.

Paige is lazily holding up a finger. I wait for my tongue to stop its disturbed twitching, and push myself to reach out and lick again, concentrating on encouraging thoughts. I can do this. I can adapt myself to this. Good body, you can learn.

Snap! Ow, cramping tongue, involuntary blinking. But less, I think. It *is* working, gradually.

"Getting back to fundamentals", says the doc, "what you lived through a few times in the last four days, and it sounds like particularly badly yesterday, is what we in the business call traumatic stress. Which is a different beastie than your regular, bad day at school, forgot your homework kind of stress. It affects the mind differently. It gets stuck down at a more fundamental, animal level. Often, it's not visible, until it pops up and surprises you with its intensity. The memory can even be missing, because it's been written down at a level where the conscious mind doesn't reach. Perhaps that doesn't apply to you, but it will still be where you aren't expecting to look for it."

Now that I know what to search for, it doesn't take long to find. An inner, intensely self protective part of me is clinging onto burned-in memories of fear and helplessness.

"Found it. Not that I have the first clue what to do with it. But it's just like you said."

In the other room, my tongue touches the fingertip, nothing except a slight tingle. Gingerly, I close my lips around it, but there's no sting. I kiss and stroke with a tongue tip. Then let loose and say, "turn up the voltage would you? Just a little at a time, slowly." And close my lips over the fingertip again.

The doc is caught a little on the back foot, but he rallies. "You have direct contact with the part of you that's holding traumatic memories? Alright. So, why don't we start by becoming allies of that part of your mind. Which we do by seeing things from its perspective. As we go along, we'll be adjusting the beliefs it holds to more positive, helpful forms, without contradicting what it feels. So, let's begin. Tell me what happened that night, and let that part of you say how it feels about it."

"Enough, you two! Paige, stop it." Sara's swatting at a smoulder mark in the silk sheet. Which I did not feel. "Very well done but enough for now, until you can find some place to ground out properly."

I wince, "Sorry, Sara. Your beautiful bed."

"Don't worry too much, dear, the room will reweave it. But let's not give it needless work." She grins. "You really did it. I am impressed. And turned on. Such dedication."

As I explain to the doc how afraid I was, all alone in enemy hands, stuck having to choose something that felt almost like suicide, I snuggle against Sara in the other room. "I can feel your emotions across bodies, you know", she says. "I can hear you talking to doc Bellows. But you survived it. Don't forget that. And no matter what happens I've got you, forever."

There's nothing I can say to that, except "I love you, so much there aren't words for it."

"Y'wanna tell me what happened?" Paige asks. "Cause I was out of the loop." So Sara and I tag-team for a bit, telling her the story of how I nearly lost my last copy and got stuck in dreams until I could learn to make a new physical body from scratch.

"You know what's fucked up?" I say. "I can't tell the doc this, but the reason he was after me wasn't even the secrets in my head, although I bet he'd think so. It was some shitty Macbeth style precog prophecy. I'm dangerous to his plans, huh? Could it be because he gave me no choice and I had to blow his guts across the room and then irradiate him and leave him to swim home in vacuum?"

Paige giggles. "Serves the old bastard right, but, I've got enough tactical sense to spot what you're carefully not saying. No choice, my furry foot. You didn't have to do a damn thing. Could have just vanished on him. Or blew his head off. You wanted him to watch himself die."

Oof, got me. "Heh. Yeah. That is the thing that's biting me in the conscience but I am gonna tell the doc? Am I heck. I'd end up in ARC black. I did need to give him a tactical slap on the wrist to make sure he didn't just turn right around and come fetch me again, but you're right, pop goes the head and the problem would have been over. I was *angry*."

"This is a feeling we are familiar with" Paige says. Or rather, I think, Mai the Palm AI she shares a brain with says. "You were under stress, and inexperienced, anger is to be expected."

"Anger that makes me torture someone, while having the abilities to do it, will scare the norms. It scares me."

Mai says, "Your decision not to explain this to Doctor Bellows is sound. Your decision to share it with us is also sound, as we are well placed to understand it. Control is something you learn."

Sara strokes my hair, gently. It feels really good, fingers on scalp. "I watched you try out those two powers for the first time, just a few hours earlier. I was the first one who saw you arrive, before you even knew you had powers, less than a week ago. You aren't used to having big teeth, or controlling your anger in the heat of battle. You've gone and stung your own conscience, on a man who honestly deserves everything you did and worse, and you'll be careful next time. Trust yourself a little better, beloved. You're learning."

I sigh and lean back against her, feeling comforted. "Okay, I'll try. I wonder if he got back. Assholes like that don't die just from being killed."

"Probably", Sara admits. "He's not short of ways to run away. I'd go for the head shot next time, except he'll probably have defenses."

"Bah, blew my chance."

Mai says, "Chances are something you make."

Over in the doc's office, we've been talking through better ways to think about the situation. I should go learn meditation - even if I already have most of the technical abilities it'd take a monk a couple decades of self discipline to learn, I have to actually use them to get the Zen. And I need to pick up and examine thoughts around the whole business. Like, "I am a monster for making that old guy scream". Is it accurate? Is it helpful? Nope to either. Just questioning myself that way will stop stuff like that becoming assumptions that taint my relationship with myself and everyone else. It does help. He's going to assign me someone to teach meditation. I suspect, because he's no fool, the doc is going to draw some inferences once he's no longer feeling like he stuck his finger in a plug socket. Hopefully, he decides I'm not a danger. We shake hands, he gives me his card, to call in emergencies. Next session is next week. If the current shitstorm holds up, I'm sure I'll have fresh traumas. And then I'm headed back toward Poe, because the Kimbas will be here.


	2. Part 2

# # Part two

****6th January, 2007, Whateley, morning****

I snuggle back against Sara. Talking through all that stuff helped, but now my head's just empty. Irony, yo. "Hey Sara", I ask, "Do you reckon I'll ever learn how to grow tentacles?" Idle thoughts.

"Ever? Yeah", she says. "Not soon though, that kind of mythos stuff is the advanced class. Too dangerous for you yet." But she consoles me by making tentacles for me to nuzzle against and kiss.

"Ah well", I say. "They're just sweet is all."

"Thank you", she says.

I catch one of her tentacles and suck on it, and put the tip under my tongue.

She mms, "Why'd you put it there?"

"Thought you might like it", I say a bit slowly, pronouncing around tentacle. "Where the veins are. Next to my bloodstream."

"You, miss Jules, are a tease. You are making me hungry and if you are not careful I shall bite you."

"So bite", I say teasing.

She pulls the tentacle out of my mouth, even though I make complaining noises. "Silly. You need to be careful what you offer me."

"Okay", I say. "You can't eat me, I might get pulled in as a soul and that would be messy to undo. No permanent damage or serious pain, even if I can dismiss the body, I don't want to accidentally teach myself to be callous. But with those limits I don't have any skin boundary from you. I trust you."

"No skin boundary, hmm hmm?" Herself is amused. "So if I wanted to play tic tac toe on your liver?"

"It's right there, don't let me stop ya."

"Gah, tempter", she laughs. "Later. We need to get ready for lunch. Are you gonna be coming to lunch from Poe or here?"

"Both", I say. "Might as well start as I mean to go on."

In Poe, I'm sat in Fey's room, which seems to be the default council of war kinda place. Billie had broken a bit of the big news before I got back from getting my head shrunk. Fey put up an anti-snoop field. Then I had to apologise to everyone for learning their secrets, which was embarrassing. I think Ayla doesn't trust me. Chou is sort of quietly judging. Fey thinks I'm weird, but okay. Jade approves of me being there for Billie, but got grumpy at how much I learned. I think she'll forgive me. Toni thinks I'm weird, but is happy to have another girl who just outright likes being a girl, "even if you do have extra bits".

"So let me get this straight", Ayla asks. "You just up and jumped into Sara's lap, and said 'make me as spooky as you'? And you did this knowing, accurately and in detail, what she is, because you read it over in another universe?"

"Bing, a million bucks for team Ayla, that is the right answer!" Which cracks up Toni and Jade. "Yeah. I jumped at the chance."

Fey says, "I can already sense it, you know? Your soul is starting to change, and you feel a little other than human, in the way she does. Anyone magically sensitive is going to notice it soon."

"Wasn't planning to hide it", I say. "Wasn't planning to flaunt it either, but if they ask, I'll just say yes, that's what I am now. I'm more than a little proud of my choice."

"But you will be flaunting your multiple bodies", says Toni.

"Can't hardly avoid it, if I want to take half a dozen concurrent classes, they'll see me walking past myself on campus."

"Tell me you at least are going to hide having the extra parts?" Ayla asks. "Because Poe will keep your secret there, but if it gets out, well, I have personal experience with that. There's a lot of assholes."

"Haven't decided", I admit. "I'm really tempted to be open about it. Bullies, I am not particularly concerned about. I should be able to evade them without violence. Risking Poe's secret is the main thing in the don't pile, but it's a huge one. Besides, even if I was open, I'm not exactly gonna climb on a table in Crystal Hall, put on my best Shakespeare voice, and yell out 'I have a dick' to the whole school."

Which makes everyone snicker. "No, I wouldn't recommend that", says Ayla.

I smile. "Anyhow. I'm hoping soon enough, everyone just files me under 'a normal day in weirdness central AKA Whateley'."

"Our whole team is pretty strange", Billie agrees. "If they can get used to me and Nikki and Jinn playing as Shroud, they can get used to you."

"We need to head over to lunch", Chou says, finally joining in the conversation. "The Tao sees you as a positive in the balance. Which I am a little surprised by but will accept."

I bow to her, since it seems appropriate. Which makes her, finally, smile a little.

I sit down at the Kimba table, after Billie shows me how to touch in to the conversation, with half my portion on my tray, and I walk in with Sara, Paige and Jet, go get the other half of my portion, touch in and sit down opposite. And both of me break out giggling at everyone's responses. "What, you've not seen a girl with two independent bodies before?", I say in perfect sync.

"Flaunt it, she said", Toni says. "Well, mission achieved I guess."

Soon enough I'm not the topic of conversation. Bugs has suits to show. Jade has a nifty idea to flip for ultra-violence or pacifism each morning, which makes Ayla turn interesting shades of purple and spit her drink. I let it wash over me. I'm not part of Kimba yet, I may never be, they're already a team and well above my level in physical combat. But I'm inside their circle of friends, and it feels good. And I'm also sitting with Sara's pack, and inside their circle of friends. It's pretty wonderful, and I can just bask.

After the meal, Poe-me heads over towards the library. Sara-me follows the pack back down underground. I play by trying to float along, I wouldn't call it flying, which I can get away with since there's no red flag day in the tunnels. My efforts get me giggled at. I ham it up, swimming in mid air, tumbling like I'm out of control, pretending to spacewalk. Everyone's laughing when we get to Sara's room and collapse on beanbags - I lower myself just above one and then ploomp down on it. Everyone applauds, which makes me break down laughing. "So fun."

The me in the library is having a more quiet kind of fun. Looking around a bit, I eventually track down Miss Henderson. With a bit of persuasive effort and demonstration, I manage to convince her that multi-body reading isn't disruptive in the way my earlier warper trick is. She gives me permission to multi-read, but not the whole library at once. "Stick to one section at a time, and defer to other students. Even if you only need the book for a few seconds, the bustle might be intimidating to them. I don't want to receive any complaints." I assure her there won't be. And apologize again for the mess on Thursday. "I owe you one, if you need an additional free worker for anything, mail me." She nods. And adds "we have improved our security camera coverage and monitoring since Thursday. Such an assault won't be permitted to happen again." I thank her.

And then it's on to picking up Physics where I left off, although I quickly find that ARC covered a lot of that, and there's only a few books that have new stuff. I'll just work along the shelf then. Chemistry is next!

It turns out that Sara's pack plays board games. Who knew? It's not really my thing, so I get to sit with a book, taking my time because it's the spooky one and it makes quite a bit more sense now I know mid-university level physics and a bit of organic chemistry. Sara has half an eye for me, checking I'm not turning into something too oogy too fast, and the rest of her attention on the Catan game, having entirely too much fun saying "I have wood for sheep" with a bit of lust aura push and making everyone crack up and pelt her with cushions.

I'm particularly interested to read about Sara's father, Gothmog, because I haven't met him yet and really would like to. There's a summoning ritual, which is pretty simple, just a drawing, a chant and some ingredients, but I'm curious about how it works and try to pick apart the pieces mentally, carefully. Everything you do with this kind of material has to be kid gloves, because it can easily fire off just from being thought about in the wrong way. But on the other hand, the hyperspatial geometry of it does make a lot of sense to me. I wonder if I could improve it?

In the library, I skip over most of the sports section for now, as I'm not really interested in the intricacies of baseball or soccer, but the martial arts section gets my full attention. I may not be able to learn from books, exactly, but maybe I can get a few better ideas to hang experience on? There is, unsurprisingly, quite a lot, and covering a variety of arts.

Hippolyta wins Catan, and gets a hug and a long slow kiss for her reward, which makes her blush practically incandescent and everyone else applaud. Sara catches my eye and comes over to shoulder peek. "Hmm, looking at Daddy's ritual?" And I explain how I might be able to improve it. She nods, "Okay, let's give it a try, it feels like a good time for it." Then to the room, "okay, people, we're gonna call daddy, so, it's up to you if you want to stick around and meet him." Hippolyta and Gypsy make their excuses, but the rest decide to stay.

Alright. Sara offers a box of chalk, I take a stick, and copy myself a half dozen more times - yay, I copied the chalk too! Success number one. Okay. The seven of me each take an area of the summoning circle and each of us crouches and draws. With a bit of space bending, we can get the angles and layers right. The whole, nine-foot thing is done in seconds. Success number two.

"That makes my eyes water", Jamie complains, looking away. "How can you draw in more than one level of depth like that on a flat surface?"

Sara is grinning proudly. Hands the nearest one of me the pieces I need, a condom in its packet, a dried rose with the thorns on, a small tightly curled snip of dark hair. I pass them to other me's and we put them in their proper pads in the diagram. "Okay, anyone not wanting to hear spooky stuff please plug your ears", I say, in unison. Which is, to be honest, a bit deliberately spooky already, but it wakes them up. Jamie and Paige plug up. Erin and Jet risk it.

In the library, I pause. Going to deliberately avoid cross streams of concentration for this one.

I start to speak the chant, but carefully cross phased over the seven of me, and some of me are speaking at slightly different space bends than others, or very slightly out of sync. I'm sure there's a musical term for this but I haven't hit music in my reading yet. The effect is something like an echo and something like a chord of harmonised sound.

We finish.

And without fanfare, there's suddenly a man inside the circle. Very tall, has to be seven feet. Beautifully androgynous, he could be a supermodel except for the flat chest. Tailored black silk suit that catches the room's lighting nicely. Black, straight hair done up in a simple tight ponytail, long enough to touch the stone floor. He looks, perhaps, a bit Hispanic.

Sara smiles happily. "Hi Daddy, meet my friends." I dismiss the six extra me, and give him a bow.

"Well, daughter, this is interesting indeed." He looks down. "Your improvements? Hmm, no." Looks at the remaining one of me. "Ah. Well met indeed. My greetings to you, friend of Sara, and I sense, granddaughter?"

"Greetings to you, grandfather", I say. "I've been looking forward to meeting you. My name's Jules, code name Parallel."

"When I look like this I usually go by Antonio Marques Dominguez", he says. "Also Gothmog. Bold of you to give me your real name, but, I sense, not the whole original?"

"As much of it as I've kept, in this world", I admit. "Whatever name Sara speaks counts as the real one to me." Which gets an understanding smile.

Sara goes around introducing the others, by codename. Feral, Cyberkitty, Heyoka, and Jet, who seems to only have one name. Everyone does a bow, or a curtsey in Paige's case, show-off.

I go fetch a beanbag. "Want one?" I offer. He smiles and nods, so I pass it into the circle. We all grab bags to sit in around the circle, and him inside it.

"Well, this is nice", he says. "I should warn you all that I'm under summoning rules, so I am not allowed to reveal secrets or grant boons without charging for them."

"Just tell us, daddy, and we'll negotiate the price", Sara says. "It shouldn't get in the way much if we're just chatting."

He nods in agreement. "Of course. So how's my daughter been?"

"Fell in love again, adopted a daughter, got chased by aliens, the usual", Sara smirks.

"A busy few days", Gothmog agrees. "The mi-go were most put out over their ship being so nicely bisected."

"Trouble?" Sara asks.

"No, no, not for you." He turns facing me, "Or you. They don't blame the nettle when it stings. But they blame the idiot who sent them out without gloves to pick it. Your Uncle Charles is not in their good books."

"He's not in mine either, daddy. I think we should do something about him."

"Hmm. and what do you think, miss Parallel?"

Having his attention like that is pretty nipple-crinkling intense. And I normally have exactly zero interest in guys. I say, "I think he's the kind of two-bit nuisance who holds a grudge. If he made it safely home, he'll be coming back. Good tactics say we deal with him first, at a time of our choosing not his, and in a manner that prevents further problems. For whichever values of 'we'. I can swing a big stick but not without some nasty collateral damage. And he's seen it, he may have defenses."

Gothmog nods. "Good analysis. I concur. However, I'm constrained from just jumping in on this one, too much risk to the balance. I can probably make a deal, though, without tipping anything. For a price."

I consider that. "What I need is training. Particularly, magic, but your - what will be our - kind of stuff, more than the human stuff. At a speed that is tolerably safe for me, but as quickly as possible within that constraint. What would the price be?"

He rubs his chin and thinks. "Alright. Two things. The first is alliance. You'll take my side and my daughter's against any enemies of ours. You'll be counted among the number of those I can call upon, when I have need. Even if it were to be inconvenient, at the time."

"Your enemies are my enemies", I say. "Your friends are my friends. My strength and my skill will always be in alliance with you and yours. As it already is for Sara."

He nods. "Good." And Sara says "witnessed". Then he continues, "The second is", and he grins mischievously, "You'll come and visit your old grandpa and come learn from me in my own realm."

And I grin, and say, "Done and I'd love to."

"Then done", he says. "You've got yourself a tutor."

Me in the library resumes reading the martial arts section, but with a happy smile.


	3. Part 3

# # Part three

****6th January, 2007, Whateley, afternoon****

I slide the last book in the martial arts section back onto the shelf. That was an interesting set of books to read, and honestly, I'm fairly sure I don't understand a tenth of it yet, but I've got it on file, grainy black and white photos and all. I wonder if I can treat the body mechanics mathematically? But I'd need to know how my own body's capable of moving, and I don't, not really. I mean, I read all the anatomy stuff, I could draw the inside of my shoulder joint, but can I move it all the possible ways? Grumble, grumble. I need tentacles so I can poke inside stuff and watch it move. In the meantime, I should schedule some time to just move and find out the ranges of motion and where the muscles are strong. Maybe I can get in on morning Tai Chi? I'll have to ask Nikki and Chou. Morning feels a long time away.

I'm realizing that time feels strange to me now. I can do some things so incredibly fast that waiting for mere days practically has me pacing the floor. Which means I need some sort of hobby to occupy my attention. I'll see what occurs to mind.

Looking over at the fiction section, I realise I've made a problem from my old world that much worse. A fast reader catches up to her favourite authors. One who can finish a book in five seconds flat, will run out of new series to read as soon as the inter-library loan system comes up dry. Fate is cruel. The thought makes me giggle as I start the authors at "A", and bring up another half dozen of me to begin reading. Despite impatience, I have all the time in the world. New authors will be born.

Okay, the impatience thing is going to bug me.

In Sara's room, the pack is chatting with Gothmog. It's clear he knows Paige. The others, I don't think he's had a chance to meet yet. They're a little hesitant, but he's a charming guy. Never slips past light flirting to creepy, and soon everyone's old friends. Me, I snuggle up with my head in Sara's lap and let the conversation wash over me a bit. I did my first spell just earlier. I think I understood it a little, too. That's slightly overawing. I am really looking forward to learning more, though. Lying here, I feel infinitely content. Tentacle hair pets don't hurt either. Mm, so nice.

Paige joins in petting me which makes me spontaneously giggle. How the tables are turned! "Can't purr yet", I say. "Might learn." And I play making a prrprr sound. Which makes everyone laugh. Since I got woken up a little, I might as well ask the thing that's on my other mind. "So, Sara, Grandpa, how do you two cope with time? Like, things take so long to happen, when part of you is fast."

They both look thoughtful. Sara says, "I generally find I have lots of things to do, so if I can't do one, I can do another. But I have things I can fall back to when that's impossible. Studying. Playing with my beloveds. Playing GEO. If I get antsy, I can go out for a walk. The stars are always beautiful, and the many busy living things in the woods are fascinating, or enticing to chase. Especially now I have Fey's connection to it all."

Gothmog nods. "The universe is immense, and you won't run out of things to learn. But also, I find it helps to accept the moments, rather than push them away. If you're looking towards what will happen, it can feel like nothing is happening now. But that's not true at all. In every moment, so many things are happening. If you allow yourself to experience and care about them, then time is never empty. The thing you are waiting for will come around in its proper time, and then your attention can turn towards it. But right now, my daughter has tentacles stroking your scalp. Right now, miss Cyberkitty has lovely blue eyes and a gentle look in them. See the moment, and it's full."

I smile. "That makes so much sense. I'll try doing that. And also collecting a lot of things to do."

"You'll find that comes on its own, along with responsibilities and commitments", he says amused. "Alright, speaking of commitments, apologies but I think I must be getting along. Thank you all for your most enjoyable company, and you are all welcome to look me up. Thank you for the summoning, granddaughter, and I liked your edits." He stands, brushes his suit out, bows. "Good afternoon, daughter, granddaughter, and friends." And the circle is empty.

After that, the gathering just drifts apart. I clean up the circle with a dry cloth, and the room makes the chalk dust vanish. I think, everyone has a lot to think about, after meeting Sara's father. Those who are into boys, perhaps they need to go have some time with themselves and a bottle of lube. I think he won't mind. Myself I'm so very not, but he's on my exceptions list, which presently consists only of him. If he asks when I visit, I won't say no.

I've been hogging Sara's time for a bit, so I decide to go for a wander, myself. I know Whateley's tunnel system is absolutely immense. Any ordinary person might wander for days, lost deep underground. However, I'm not that ordinary any more. I'll memorise the whole thing as I see it, and I can make a new me to explore every turn-off I come to, then dismiss them at dead ends or loop-backs. Gravity sensing should give me relative position and a directional baseline. I explain my plan to Sara (because seriously, what kind of idiot would go do that without someone back at base knowing where they were?) and she gives me the nod. "For you, it should be safe. If you get in any danger, just vanish the body." I agree to that, and set off.

One of me quickly reaches Poe. That one I keep around, and head up to the second floor where the rooms are. Billie's around, and she looks a lot perkier now everyone else is back. "Hey there, Jules! Finished the library already?"

I shake my head with a grin. "Still there, reading. Also several of me are exploring the tunnels. What's up over here?"

She laughs. "You're hard to get used to. Not a whole lot, me and Jade were just talking. Want to join us?" I nod, "I'd love to."

The room feels a lot more lived in, all of a sudden. Jade's stuff has a strong cutesy slant, which I don't hate at all. "Hey there", I say. "Is it okay if I come in?" Billie said yes, but it's best to get Jade's okay too, since she might still be grumpy with me. Meanwhile, my mental map of the tunnels continues to grow. Twisty, twisty, fun and twisty. It's easy to be a bit bold when I can probably avoid anything worse than a jump scare, even if I do meet a grue. Although I'm careful not to actually be reckless. And remembering something I read in the previous life, I check the ceilings too.

Jade nods. "Sure, come on in. Sorry I was rude earlier."

"Already forgiven", I say, "You had a nasty shock. One I truly, deeply understand. Let's say I owe you one."

"Ooh, you'll regret that", says a certain much loved looking cabbit toy. "Dangerous to owe favours to us. I might make you do something nasty."

"You shut it", says Jade, blushing and laughing.

"Bah, mistreatment, I demand plush rights! I'm a heroine too." Which gets her picked up and hugged by Billie.

"See, she appreciates me!" We all laugh.

"Hey Jade", I say when the giggles calm down, "I was wondering, would you be able to get me an in with the gadgeteer crowd?"

Billie asks, "Why'd you need it? I didn't think that was one of your powers."

"Wasn't yesterday", I smirk.

"The library, huh?" She's no dunce. "Nice."

"I can definitely get you an in, and I can introduce you to Bugs, too", Jade says.

I smile. "Thanks. I'm probably going to need her or someone friendly to help guide my hand a bit in the beginning. I may know about op-amps but I've never tried to solder one down."

She nods. "You should be able to test in as a gadgeteer, even if it's not a mutation, they aren't too picky about where the skill came from. They've handled people who knew the theory, but not the practise before, I'm sure of it. You'll be fine."

"Good good", I say, feeling antsy. "Now I just need to chase down Chaka and get her to show me movement. And Chou, to get in on morning Tai Chi."

Jade looks at me with an unreadable emotion. Sympathy? "You're trying to rush everything in one bite, aren't you?"

"A bit", I admit. "The waiting bothers me. I know there will be lessons from Monday, but..."

"It doesn't feel entirely real, like it might be snatched away?"

I wince. She got me. "It feels like that every separate measurable instant. And I can measure small instants. Like, I'm currently mapping the tunnels as we speak, because it feels like I'm getting something *done*. Because I can't let a moment pass."

Jade comes over and hugs me. "Please be careful in the tunnels, there really are monsters in the dark, stay in the areas marked for walking and obey danger signs. But I completely understand. Believe me. It is real. It will last. You are really here. The shock will wear off, and you will still be here."

I hug her back. "Thank you." Yes, I'm crying, and I'm okay with that. And I think I've mapped enough tunnels for now. I'll know where to come back to, if I want to pick that up, but I don't feel the need to rush it so much any more. I already did find where I was held hostage. One of the devisor labs. Let's hope that stays a useless factoid. All 83 current bodies inside the tunnel system's winding extents silently vanish. "Alright, I'm done mapping for today. I did cover a lot of ground though."

"Maybe you can become my kouhai in the maintenance crew", Jade suggests. "That knowledge could come in handy."

"I'll ask and see if they'll have me, prospective senpai" Which makes both of them grin.

Jade puts her hand on her chin thoughtfully, then looks at me suspiciously for a moment. "What do you think of Hello Kitty?"

"Fun and cute", I say. "Although Paige is cuter." Oho, is she poking me for Wondercute?

"The colour pink, or other pastels?"

"Nice to look at. I have some shirts in those colours."

"Sailor moon?"

"I was never able to get into it much, but as far as mahou shoujo goes, I loved Nanoha. Um, Madoka was too dark for me, but I think that hasn't happened yet in this timeline."

She looks thoughtful.

I ask, "Do I pass?"

She grins. "Well, not an instant pass, but we shall see. You are clearly not an enemy of cute, at least." Which I acknowledge, playfully, with a bow.

I say see ya, and head out. What should I do with myself? I go and lie down on my Poe bunk-bed a bit and think. Me in the library is done for now, I covered all the literary fiction section. A bit dull really, but boredom is an emotion that can be switched off if it gets underfoot. They might be set texts. Still, I'll save the fun bits for later, I've still got an SF-fantasy section left, and a few of the non-fiction areas that weren't high priority. I do find the absence of Lovecraft's work ironic. They probably have it under lock and key. That me vanishes.

For a short while, then, it's just the one body. Which almost feels quaint. "I'm really here", I repeat to myself.

Is that even true any more? What is the meaning of I, for me?

We decide that our shared "I" is the identity we all feel is our "I", that is shared across all of me, physical and non. Our attempts to poke down into the soul level seem to suggest we join up there, like many stems from one big, alien root.

How do I cope with the fear this all isn't real?

Talk to the shrink, talk to Sara, those both seem like good starts. Stop chasing my damn tail, I'll wear a hole in the rug. Don't stop learning, but make time to smell the roses. Gothmog's advice earlier comes back to me. Grasp the value in the small moments.

And to an extent I can rely on proof through capability. One mind cannot simulate a hundred, or a thousand. I see our selves, therefore we are. This is not something the old world me could do, although she wished for it.

Alright! Enough moping. I roll out of bed. I need to go give Sara a hug. I want to go give her more than that. Hmm, and we should have a talk about contraception, too, because I really don't know how that interacts with multiple bodies. And while I am actually seriously looking forward to Sara-babies, some things ought to wait for graduation.


	4. Part 4

# # Part four

****6th January, 2007, Whateley, evening****

I make a second body before I leave my room in Poe. I'll just park one here. I'll see if I can't get the other me a permanent place over in Sara's room. Having only one body is nostalgic, but it's dangerous for me. And besides, I have plans for what to do when I get to Sara's place. Fun, fun.

The tunnel from Poe to Hawthorne is quiet ahead of supper time. Every turn-off is familiar to me now. Up I go, and in, Sara's room rather unusually says "knock first", so I knock and wait.

The door swings open. Sara's sitting on her bed, looking devastated. Eep, change of plans. I go in, shut the door, and sit down beside her, and give her a hug. "What is it? If you want to share. Can I help?"

"I have to share, it concerns you", she says, leaning into the hug a little. "While you were out, daddy came and lectured me a bit. He pointed out something I should have seen right from the beginning. I've been horribly selfish. What I did to you out of love, has dragged you right into the middle of a war. A big, old, war, with very dangerous enemies. The idea that a human could become one of them would drive the other side to absolute killing fury. I really don't think I have any choice but to..."

I don't let her finish, "If you think you can take away what you gave, I'll slap you so hard." My heart is suddenly pounding, I'm scared and furious. "I will *not* stop being your child. I will not bend the knee to some bigoted asshat who dislikes what I am. I'm proud of what I am. I am a human who said, make me like you. I embrace both my natures, human and great old one. The enemy can bite my spooky ass!"

"The enemy *will* bite your spooky ass, you lovable idiot." She gives me a sad smile, I've charmed her. "What you are right now is defenseless."

"So help me get sharp enough teeth he'll think twice."

She clearly considers it.

I add, "I'd rather die shouting defiance against this whoever, than give my new nature up. Or you! I love you, silly Sara, mother, beloved, best friend. What would exist of me if you cut me off? Teach me to have teeth and I'll be the one biting ass."

She sends a tentacle to nip me on my own ass, for overusing the metaphor, which makes me yelp, but also I deliberately choose to not pull away, despite the pain and a warm trickle down my leg that has to be blood. "No skin boundary from you. Teeth included. But I assert my boundaries against him. Help me fight."

"Alright, alright, gah", she says, "I'll not take your changes back, and I'll help you, and daddy will. We'll pour ourselves into you, and pray. I think you're being an idiot but I can't argue with you. But", and her voice gets determined, "I am going to ride you like Gunny Bardue rides the grunts. You think you've seen steep learning curve, welcome to boot camp, sunshine."

I laugh. "Sir! Yes sir!" I shout it out like in the movies. "Ride me good and hard sir!" And we both crack up completely and collapse in a heap of giggles, herself crying with the released emotions, me being big spoon for a change.

\---

Over in Poe, the body's just lying on the bed, parked. But my door gets a knock, so I move some of my attention back there. "Sure, come in?"

It's Chou, looking relaxed in a kinda sleeveless Chinese style top and yoga pants. If she has her sword, it's hiding. I think part of me recognises her as a big danger, but, I'm overriding that bit. I feel she's trustworthy.

I say, "Grab a seat on the bed if you want, or on the desk chair, what can I do for you?"

She picks a spot beside me on the bed. "I wanted to talk to you about the stuff we spoke about earlier, but, on our own. I feel what you're doing, how you're changing is important for the balance somehow, but I don't really understand it."

"I can't say I understand the details of how it works myself, you'd have to go to Sara or Gothmog or someone for that. But I can tell you my intentions, if that helps?"

"Yeah, it does."

"Okay so, it started as just a wish, and a nudge from Sara based on that wish. And the wish itself was more a feeling, than anything easy to spell out, but it goes something like this: I want to be like her, I want to be with her but as an equal, I want to be a kind of bridge, like she already is, from the human to their side. But while she's kind of reaching over from them to us, I am reaching from us to them. That was what she saw, along with the fact I already loved her, and started her spark. And then I leaned into it, so it went from potential to begun."

Chou considers. "You see yourself as a kind of ambassador?"

"I want to become the best of both sides. And help the sides see each other. So, yeah."

"I don't think they'll all be down with your idea", Chou says. "The Handmaidens have a long history of breaking up plots by these things to outright destroy humanity."

"Nor does Sara", I agree. "She's worried about some big old enemy feeling really put out by it, in fact. So I may have to change a little uncomfortably fast. The way I read it, there's factions. Although I don't know in detail what they are, it's clear one of them doesn't like us, and I'd kind of be a big deal."

"There's a possibility you'll draw danger on us."

"None that didn't already want the entire planet dead, but yes, my change might focus their attention on here in particular."

She considers. "You've come to the one place where that focused attention might meet serious resistance."

"Not by chance", I agree.

"None of this by chance", she says.

I nod. "The whole thing has a 'happened by itself' feeling to it. Very wu wei. I probably pronounced that horribly, I've only read it."

She chuckles. "Close enough that I understood it. Yes, very, I agree. Alright, I think I understand better."

"I'm glad", I say. "While you're here, can I get in on morning Tai Chi?"

"Sure", she agrees. "We start early. Want me to come wake you?"

"Please."

She smiles. "Okay, see ya around." She pauses, a thought occurring. "By the way, what were you up to, before I came in? I couldn't feel much ki until I knocked. I almost decided not to, but the light was on."

"Parking the body. Most of my attention was elsewhere, but I wanted this here, strategically and so nobody wondered why I was out."

"Parking..." She chuckles. "I'm going to have to get used to you doing slightly inhuman things, aren't I?"

"We both are", I agree.

Over in Sara's room, she's helping me work through the other half of the book she loaned me. Grandma's half, as she calls it. She's close mind-linked with me, and we're going through it slowly, as she explains concepts without need for human words. Although at a level, we're chattering, too, in the silent room.

"You weren't wrong, calling this sharp edged", I teasingly complain. "The impersonality of it all is pretty hard to take. Just life for life's sake. Live, kill, fuck, birth, die, repeat."

"She's like that. You read how I didn't want to be her high priest. I don't want those energies stampeding through me. That side of me is already a bit painfully unkind, as Jet knows well." Jet is off getting herself recharged.

"Perhaps we can work out ways to gentle it, together", I say. "I know Jet-inside is already working on it, with Gary."

"Perhaps", she says a bit sulkily. I can feel she's not truly reconciled to that part of her nature yet. But I send her a wave of love for all of her.

She basks in the love a bit, then focuses back on the text. "This one is the parameter for increase, as in increase by reproduction or growth, at the cell level it's both the same, now hold this shape in your mind, see how it relates to the rune? And the rune in its position in the spell will draw increase force into particular elements according to its correspondence."

"A lot of this feels kinda like astrology", I say.

"I think we taught humans astrology. It's a rather us kind of way of thinking. Very circular, relational, everything happens simultaneously and constantly moves. So yeah, that's not accidental. When you're making a spell, it definitely helps it work better when you can bind the stars into it too."

I nod. "I've got the human charts memorized, I'll see if I can go see some, next time it's clear out. Start building a relationship."

"I'll come out with you. We'll see if we can't get your eyes tuned up to a proper standard, human ones can't see much." I smile at the thought. She continues, "Okay, now see if you can relate that rune to the action of increase in your own body. You're a life form, and all her powers have reflections inside you."

I say, "Haven't done any reproduction yet. Might like to, when it won't get you into trouble. Say four years from now."

"Teaser", she says. "You know I have to fight my urges."

"Gonna tease that urge a whole lot. Make it so when it's time, tick tick boom, and you up and jump me." Accompanied by a mental image of her in an absolute frenzy.

She tentacle-noogies me, and I giggle, physically. But she's linked deep enough she catches the caveat. "You're not on the pill, are you?"

"What does a pill do, when I vanish the body that took it?", I say. "If I copy a body with contraception, does that new body have it? And will my spooky nature, or my regeneration, work around any pill? I'm pretty sure I'd reject an IUD as easily as a bullet."

She sighs. "All good points. Which I suspect, means that your best chance of avoiding a baby, other than never having fun without a barrier, is sorcery. I mean, I can go up inside and nip it out, if it's just implanted, but I'd have to catch it early. I don't plan to chow down on any formed fetus. But with sorcery you can just make it fizzle."

I send agreement.

"Okay, back to the cells. Internal focus, here, like this." Even for me, my body is intensely huge, complex beyond measure, a universe of growing and destroying, birth and killing. This is the hurdle I need to cross, though, to get to the point where vanishing my last body won't strand me. Okay, focus on the increase, like the rune. And I can see it throughout me.

She continues, "Once you've understood this book, you'll be able to see how your whole body is a sort of gigantic spell-diagram in itself. And how whatever you create to work on it, will have to harmonise. For broad brush work, with the melody. For details, with the individual notes."

"Fiddly."

"Very. Alteration usually works at a higher, pattern level. But you sometimes need to tinker with the small stuff, when it matters. Particularly medicine. But also, you'll be doing body improvements, and at this level."

"Yay, I get to learn tentacles!"

"Yes, you do, but right now, let's focus in on your bone marrow..."

The lesson continues. And while also concentrating really hard, I bask in the intimacy of being just mind-to-mind with no distance, not even words separating us. I love her so much. Even if she is presently lecturing me about the formation of blood and its relation to life sorcery. Which, I admit, is fascinating, if a strain to bend my minds around.


	5. Chapter 5

# # Part five

****7th January, 2007, Whateley, Poe, morning****

I've been dreaming in cells, many many strands of attention caught up in wonder at the complexity of my currently two physical selves. I wake in Poe and it takes me a little while to realise that this trillion-cell city-like behemoth is a body, a normal sized one, and I should be thinking in distances like "feet" and not "microns". Okay, definitely time for a shower to snap me back to normal reality.

Except, oops. My arms are covered with black tattoo-like swirls and leaves and vines, when I look closer it's under my skin rather than inked on. Switching to body attention... it's melanocytes, I've been moving them around. Uh-oh. I thought that was just a dream-game. And it's not just my arms. When I turn them over, look at my legs, and then make a second body to look myself over top to toe, it's, well, all of me. Even the sclera in my eyes. Ha, oops, indeed. Well, I can set it to clearing itself up, but it won't be immediate. I'll have to tough out the stares meanwhile. I put the extra body away, grab a towel and head to the shower room.

"Whoa, stop the presses, nice *ink*", Chaka is appreciative as soon as I peek in. "But how on earth... that is some weird ki, it's not ink is it? It feels alive. Show me show me, ain't no need to keep your jammies on in here."

With a little embarrassment, I strip off so she can see. "I kinda dreamed it."

"You kinda dreamed it. Oho, it's melanin, not ink, makes sense, you're a regenerator, right? You'd spit ink right back out. But how on earth?"

Fey, meanwhile has come in and is staring at me fascinated. "That's beautiful, Jules, although the teachers are going to throw a fit." Her Aunghadhail voice says, "I've seen this before, in one who was studying body-forming."

I nod. "Me and Sara were busy with life sorcery last night."

And then Fey looks amused, very amused, giggles, and laughs out loud. Walks around me and is laughing so hard she has to sit down on the tile floor.

"What?" I ask, because I kind of have a suspicion and please let that be just a dream.

"You, um, wrote things", she manages to gasp out. "Um, it's not in a human language."

"R'Lyehian", I say, grumbling. Oops again.

"Seriously, what, what does it say?" Chaka isn't going to let this one drop. She's got that manic grin.

So with much snickering, Fey points at my boobs, "these say, chew toy", at my stomach, "this says I love Sara forever", and behind me, "this says, bite my um, inhuman, um paranormal ass, close enough, it doesn't quite go into English".

"Spooky", I translate. "I think I wrote "kiss here" on a few of my internal organs too", I admit glumly, as the two of them are laughing. "Dream me is silly." Am I going to tell them where I wrote "tentacles go here?" I am not.

"Don't worry, it's not anywhere that will show if your clothes are on. And it's just pretty swirls to most humans", Fey reassures me. "Just, if you have to change around any advanced magic students, don't be surprised if they crack up."

"Should be gone by lunchtime", I say.

"Just own it, meantime", says Chaka. "Hell, this place could do with a bit more melanin."

****7th January, 2007, Whateley, the Lovecraft room, morning****

Over at Sara's place, I bet she got to watch all the the markings forming, because I was sleeping naked. When I open my eyes there, she's grinning, and she runs a finger over my stomach where the runes spell her name. "Hey there sleepyhead. That's very sweet of you."

I giggle. "You had to see Fey's face. Oh my goodness."

"Did you show her all of them?" She knows the answer.

"No, this one's just for you", I move my legs apart so she can see. And well, so I can show off too. Yes, look at me. See where you marked me.

"Mhm, tentacles go there, do they?"

I nod.

"Well then, we had better make that happen."

Over in Poe, there's a knock on my door, and Chou comes in. "We're about to do Tai Chi, if you want to?"

I nod, "sure, gimme a mo", and grab some casual stuff, jeans and a tee shirt to do it in. Oh, better duplicate myself and send a copy to the other room, I'll need fresh clothing over there. Chou blinks. Oh, yeah, she hadn't seen that before. "Don't mind me, clothing delivery", one me says slipping out as the other says "shall we?"

"Is it just me, or are you getting weirder faster?" Chou asks as we head towards the lawn.

"It's not just you", I say with a smirk. "Okay, I'm a beginner, but a fast learner, do I just copy?"

She nods. "Copy along. I'll have half an eye on you, and I might come and correct your form."

The other me smiles as I walk along the tunnel to Hawthorne, wearing the clothes I'm delivering, and enjoying vicariously both the crisp morning air and being stuffed to bursting full of Sara. I giggle at the door saying "free show". It knows I'm me, of course, it's teasing. In I go, and join Paige, Erin and Jet, who are a bit rapt watching Sara absolutely rail another me. I'm lifted up a couple feet off the bedclothes, naked, swirl-marked, and wound about with lovely strong black tentacles that really go rather nicely with the swirls. Sara has me stuffed full both ends, every hole I can see, and I swear from the way my stomach's big, she's gone way up inside and is playing stretch my womb. It's beyond absolutely intense and it's a strange thing to be able to watch myself being completely blown away - and know the whole thing is going into eternal memory, this feeling will always be there to be touched.

The others startle a bit, seeing me. "Clothing delivery. It's wonderful, isn't it?" I can't help but watch myself, and this body is getting horny from the sight.

"Wow", Paige says. "You can talk, while..."

"I'm also up outside Poe, learning Tai Chi." I say, teasing. Paige has a lovely boner and I might take advantage if she doesn't object. "But all of me is enjoying this, even if we aren't all having a pretty much continuous mind-blowing orgasm, we feel the other self doing it."

Paige catches me looking at her tented skirt, and blushes pretty blue. I say, "If you want?" She hesitates, then nods, so I kneel down and gently lift her skirt out of the way. I can see Jet hugging Erin as my lips find and taste salt and firm warmth (and a little electrical tingle that just makes it nicer). Mm, I've wanted to play with pretty Paige for days and now she's all mine to kiss and caress.

Me outside Poe is following the form, and avoiding giggling at my other antics. I think with a lot of concentration I can see how it's working, but the fine muscles are hard to extrapolate through the skin. Well, she'll say if I'm doing it right. I can see how it correlates to the books I've read, although the form we're doing has subtle differences. Squeeze and expand, stretch out and shift the weight, swoop and rise. It's beautiful already, although I'm sure I'm doing it all wrong, as a beginner. I find that despite what my other bodies are doing, it's easy to concentrate, and enjoy the cold and fresh air as I move.

Chou comes over. "Good basic grasp of the form. But next time, would it be possible to avoid distractions? Your ki was all over the place. Ki flows with intention, and a lot of your intention was elsewhere, I think." She looks at me closely. "Still is."

I blush. "Guilty. But I'll clear a space tomorrow."

She nods. "There's no harm in memorizing the physical form first. But Tai Chi is internal, you need to be able to focus wholeheartedly."

Enough said, evidently. I consider myself told off. As I walk back in to get warm, I ponder. Maybe I can learn to avoid cross-talk in my ki? But I can't do that until I can sense the stuff. Which means Tai Chi practise has to count as a high priority. I decide to call this a useful lesson and not let it mar the loveliness of the morning over at Sara's.

Over there, Sara has lowered me back onto the bed, and my clothing delivery self comes over and offers me a kiss and mouthful of something tasty and salty, then pop, disappears, leaving a pile of ready to wear clothes. If I was able to wear anything, or in fact move any muscle. Mm, afterglow. And Paige-taste. Pretty Paige looks like she got the cream, even though she gave it. Hmm hmm, I should probably have a bath before I put anything on, but someone is going to have to hold me up or I'll drown. Or melt. Nah, if I could have melted, I'd have done it when literally every nerve in my body was singing "I love Sara" loud enough to light a second sun.

I reach to rub my stomach, where the tattoo-marks are starting to visibly fade. It feels too small, now Sara's not up in there. "Always welcome inside", I say with a raspy voice that's still regenerating. Sara comes and sits down beside me. "Thank you love."

Paige and Jet and Erin give us a bit of applause, which makes me giggle. "Can't bow, but thanks for being an audience." I try to sit up, it doesn't work. "Little help?"

Sara chivalrously picks me up, "Time to get you cleaned up. Breakfast's soon." I wave to the audience as we head into the en-suite.

Yes, tentacle baths are nice.

\---

The Pack and the Kimbas meet again at our table, and one of me is with each group. If the one with the Pack is leaning on Erin to stay upright, that's not what everyone notices. My markings aren't ink-black like the morning, but they're still mahogany-brown. I get a raised eyebrow from Ayla, who seems to dig the aesthetic. Billie's curious, "what did you do to yourself", and finds "dreamed it" entirely an inadequate answer. But then before I get a chance to elaborate, Jade gets here and I'm background, as she gushes about her babysitting job. Yeah, I remember reading this one, but it's a good harmless adventure, so the two of them can enjoy it without my interference. And then everyone's looking up in wonder, through the glass. Oh wow. I mean I've watched SpaceX on YouTube in my old world, but this is a suborbital drop-ship coming right in practically into our laps. Niiiice. I watch it until the rocket glare goes out, it's landed nearby on campus. And then I wish the both of them awesome adventuring.

We all troop out and watch Jade and Billie head over to the devisor-looking space vehicle. Billie gets loomed at by the head, probably the usual please do not irradiate and or destroy spiel. She looks quite chastened. Then they all get in, the ship blurs, half-disappears like something out of Ghost in the Shell, shifts shape, and takes off with a roar, and without, surprisingly, toasting about half the school in the rocket backwash. Fancy-pants technology. We watch it to a dot, and then head back in to our half finished breakfasts.

Everyone else wants to talk about classes. Me, I know already what I'm taking, everything that will have me, all at once. So I have a heavily overlapped schedule, but that shouldn't be any problem. Hmm, well, I just recalled, some of these might be with that nice Reverend Englund bloke who tried to kidnap me. Ha. Well, I'll either ace those to spite him, or drop them if they look like a losing proposition, I'm sure they'll let me. I'm probably making several administrators very twitchy, overlapping like this.

Which leaves a day, pretty much free of anything planned. I suppose I should savour my free time, but I need something to fill it with. To smell a rose, first gotta find a rose. Hmm, so what do I have on my to do list? The library, but that can wait. Spooky stuff, I'll let Sara set the pace for that. I should meet Bugs, although Jade isn't around to give me an introduction. I wouldn't mind trying out my big coat and going for a walk in the woods, although I don't really have stompy boots. I guess I can't exactly get frostbite, but I do wonder if anywhere on campus sells proper boots? Doc Otto said he'd send me a credit card, has it arrived?

While one of me heads to Poe to sort that out, the other has her half made plans cut short as she's approached by a short, slightly out of shape kid in shades - pretty normal, anywhere else, but here, he sticks out. The unfriendly looks he's getting from the Pack suggest he's not exactly liked here. Let me guess, Peeper? Yeah seems like it, as he's talking into a microphone he's wearing. Greasy isn't with him, perhaps not back yet.

"And now for the highlight of today's program, the newcomer in Poe who has set tongues a wagging and possibly doing other things too, Miss Parallel, hello, you're on WARS, Whateley Academy Radio Station. I'm the host, Peeper. So, rumour has it you've been bouncing the bed with our favourite demon princess, care to comment?"

I laugh because it's just silly really. Let's play along, I feel I have a use for this. "I can't confirm or deny anything that might get someone in trouble, but let's just say I'm feeling really, really relaxed right now."

He didn't expect that. "Um, and is it true you used your multi body power to make out with yourself?"

I nod. "Yup. It was nice."

He's a little taken aback at me not fighting the accusations. Presumably he had a heap of peeping-Tom evidence to drag out if I denied it, and "ruin my reputation". I wonder if he'll realise that I want a different kind of reputation.

He rallies. "And what are these markings that suddenly appeared on your body today? Are they part of some kind of dark ritual? Rumour has it that our demon princess has been corrupting you."

Nuh uh, not tolerating that one. "I dreamed them onto myself, after studying life sorcery yesterday evening. Dream me is a bit silly, and was being playful. Would you like me to give you some? They might look cute."

He shakes his head, hurriedly, "uh, no thank you".

Heh. "Pity. Well, anyhow, you're right in a way. If someone from the Mystic Arts program were to look at me, they'd probably see I was getting a bit spooky already, so, there's no point hiding it. Sara is helping me achieve something I wanted for myself, to change and become a bit more like her. Reaching out towards their side from our side, so to speak. However I can't allow you to say that it was something she did, as if it was forced upon me. This was and is absolutely voluntary."

"Uh wow. So, you're becoming a demon?"

"There's a more precise term for it, but pretty much."

"Will you eat souls like her?"

"We're a diverse lot, at the moment I eat regular food." I gesture to my empty breakfast tray.

"At the moment?"

"I'm the first one to reach out to them like this. So my future will be full of enjoyable surprises."

Poor confused Peeper. He just stalls for a moment. Then back to the old favourites. "And is it true that you're basically shameless?"

"About sex? Well, I don't want to get in trouble, or embarrass other people, or upset them, or drag them into something they didn't consent to. But on my own behalf, pretty much absolutely, yes."

"So would you be willing to do a nude photo shoot?"

"If it's artistic. That's legal thin ice, you know?"

He knows. And is probably skating damn close with those posters of Fey.

"So what would I have to do to get a date with you?"

Ha, as if. "You'd have to be a girl, which I think you're not? And you'd have to be someone I was already friends with and loved. Which would mean you'd have to greatly improve your character first."

I think he's had enough. "And that's miss Parallel folks, simultaneously in with the Negligee Nightingales and Sara's harem, and who knows where else too."

Yeah, bye.


	6. Part 6

# # Part six

****7th January, 2007, Whateley, the Lovecraft room, morning****

The pack has been gathered in Sara's room for an informal council of war. I sit on the bed, feeling defensive and a little bit like I'm on trial. She paces to and fro, not speaking yet.

"Alright", she says, eventually. "I understand you, and I understand why you did that. I can't fault you. You're determined to be known and seen as who you are. I also understand you're perfectly aware you kicked damn near every hornets' nest in the school. The ones who hate sluts. The ones who hate lesbians. The pitchforks and torches mob, who didn't exactly like me even before this all blew up. I'm pretty sure you're aware they all have pull with the administration, so there will definitely be an official response. They are going to see child endangerment, and class X exposure. Englund, in particular, is going to be running around saying he told them so. They are going to be looking at you with fear in their eyes."

I say, "If Englund didn't have it all figured out when I went on the radio, he'd have figured it by the end of the week. Enough people would see me. Rumours would spread. He'd lay another trap."

"A lot of people are not going to hear what you said, even though you spelled it out clearly. They're going to see a psychically coerced innocent child, being turned into a monster by another monster. They're going to see their own precious diddums and darling turned into a monster too, and the whole school as a nest of monsters." She stops pacing, and drops down onto an unoccupied beanbag. "You're right, he'd have seen it, and tried to use it against us. This does leave us equal at the starting line. But we need to bang our heads together and plan."

"Englund's probably gonna try and break Donna's guardianship", I say. "It was a smart plan when he hatched it and I doubt he'll let it go, now he's got leverage. So we need to brief her. As much detail as possible. Otto, too. They'll probably need to warm up their lawyers."

Sara nods. "Okay. Things we need to prove. That you weren't coerced. That's hard, given a regular psychic wouldn't survive trying to deep scan you. Maybe Louis? We'll have to see if he can read you."

"That I took no harm", I pick up the listing. "They'll try and read my changes as harm, though."

"That might turn and bite them", Sara says. "It's the same argument used against mutants. Even the nice changes are inhuman. Won't wash with Carson."

"That my shamelessness wasn't caused by you. That's hard, I don't have a history pre-dating you, in this world, to point to."

"We turn that around and say that I have plenty of other lovers who don't care to hang it all out in front of the school." This gets a nod from Hippolyta. "The notion I'm influencing people with my lust aura is something I've faced since I got here, but they can't point to anything to show it. So I accuse them of recycling old arguments in new clothes."

"And I say I'm shameless because that's my ethic. I'm fed up of hiding who I am."

She nods. "Okay. Next, class X exposure. I'm being careful, I know what I'm doing and I have your safety as my first consideration, but even what you've read already would have been damaging for someone who didn't have the right shape of mind to hold it."

"Well I *do* have the right shape of mind", I say. "Students have different needs and limits. And you're uniquely placed to control my exposure while knowing what I can handle. Humans wouldn't know. Others of your kind would know, but not care. Except grandpa, and he's already in on helping me."

"That might help", Sara says. "They can summon him, and rely upon the summoning to compel truth."

"And he's an expert witness", I agree. "Englund would pitch a fit at consorting with demons, but that wouldn't help his case."

Sara nods. "Okay, open to the floor. Any thoughts?"

"The homophobia isn't going to help", says Paige. "They may not be able to cite it, but that doesn't mean it won't turn their votes."

I say, "If we're presuming some kind of tribunal, making them spit their homophobia out could turn to our advantage. The head isn't going to have much truck with it."

Paige nods at that.

Jet waves a hand to get attention, then says, "We need to get a copy of you safely off school grounds, and not at ARC either. They can't box you in, if you can afford to delete all the copies they can reach."

"Good plan", says Sara. "Paige, you could introduce her to your folks?"

I say, "I was headed out for a walk anyway, so perhaps I can walk to the woods as I planned, then we meet far enough in we won't be on anyone's scanners, I duplicate, and a copy goes off with Paige while the other sticks to my flight plan and comes back?"

Paige nods, "Yeah, I can do that."

Erin adds, "I'll come along. I could do with a run."

\---

The me that is heading towards Poe has reached most of the way there when Peeper starts interviewing me. Fey has just told me there's a store where I can get boots, so that should solve my cold feet problem. I wince. "Crap, we'd better hurry."

"What's up?" she asks.

"Other me is giving a radio interview. Peeper, he just happened along. We're going to tell the school what I am."

"Seriously?"

"I'm done hiding", I say. "But I'd like to get into Poe before we get jumped by curious crowds."

"What are you gonna tell him?"

"Well, I've already told him I was having fun with Sara, and I confirmed I made out with myself. And now I'm telling him that I'm turning into a great old one, although without the term, I doubt he knows it."

"Shit, seriously?" Fey is a bit taken aback. "That gets broadcast around the whole damn school."

"Done hiding. And I told him I'm a lesbian too."

"I think we need to get the Kimbas together."

We're walking into Poe now, and I'm already getting curious looks from folks I was scenery to yesterday. I check my paper mails on the way in, yay, I think this one is the credit card. "Ayla's going to be mad at me, isn't he?"

"I think we're all going to call you an idiot", Fey says. "Although what's done is done."

By the time everyone's gathered who's over here, which is Fey, Chaka, Ayla and Chou, as well as Bugs, we've already talked plans over in Sara's room. We're in Ayla's room, best coffee machine.

Ayla plays back the online recording of today's WARS Peeper show from his laptop, then hits stop. "Well. You didn't say, I have a dick, so that's something."

"Didn't come up", I say. "We've talked strategy over at Sara's already. I think we can answer any specific accusations if we get dragged in front of the head. Just depends if the people handing down the verdict are willing to listen."

He nods. "Well, for better or worse, your colours are pretty much nailed to the mast now."

"Are you, like, really turning into a demon?", asks Bugs.

"I'm turning into something that's specifically called a great old one, the same kind of thing as Sara", I say. "Most people call that a demon. I probably won't end up looking like her, but my mind's already a bit different from human."

"You're gonna stay looking human on the outside?" Bugs is curious. Feels to me like she might be the open minded sort.

"Dunno", I admit. "I can already do small tricks", I indicate the now cafe-au-lait markings on my skin, "I dreamed these last night. I'm definitely planning to learn tentacles, they're too fun. But it might mostly not show when I'm just walking around. Nobody's done this before."

"Tentacles are fun?" Bugs is unconvinced.

"Have you seen Sara?" I feel that's pretty much QED.

Everyone looks dubious. Okay, maybe I'm the spooky one. Nah, I'm right, they're sillies.

"We're used to her, but it's still weird", admits Chaka.

"Meh, I'm biased by being ridiculously in love with her, but I think they're the cutest thing ever", I stick up for my perspective.

There's a pause.

"Okay, I'll admit, they can be really fun", Fey, unexpectedly, sticks up for me, and blushes. Everyone looks at her.

"Moving on", Ayla says.

I explain the plan for a walk in the woods to them. They think it's a good one. We decide Fey and Chou will come with me to bodyguard. They're good to come with me into the woods, too. While Bugs is here, I take advantage of the opportunity to ask her if she can show me around the labs. She could, but wasn't I just planning to go for a walk? I duplicate myself. This is apparently "so kewl". Yes, I'll let her put me in a spectrometer.

I accompany Bugs towards the devisor labs, as I also put on what winter gear I have, sign and pocket the new card, to go to the shop. I head down to the Poe lobby, to wait for the others to get their stuff on too.

In Hawthorne, Sara and I have gone to meet Fubar, up close and personal. On the way there, we're joined by a boy heading the same way. Very normal looking. Heh, no I'm not an idiot. "Hi Foob", I say.

"Hi to you, traveller from another world who knows my name", Fubar is amused. "Yes, I can scan you, and yes, I'll keep your secrets. Very interesting mind!"

"Why thank you", I say, and bow, and grin amused. "It was ordinary a week ago."

"Pleasantly gentle and considerate even then", he says. "But your time here has been good to you."

"That's the current question, isn't it? I bet you're picking up how people have reacted to that radio show. Pitchforks?"

We reach a basement room. Sara opens the door, and it swings with a slight suction and a whoosh that suggests it's designed to seal airtight. Fubar answers, "you're one of 'the pretties' to people over here, so you start from a negative score. Making yourself monstrous, ironically, helps that. Most of them now rate you as 'one of Sara's chicks' and are slightly positive. Sara, of course, being quite monstrous enough for them."

Out of the water depths in the tank, a shape approaches. He's cute and squid-like, with a sort of shell, and arthropod-like legs. I personally think it's a fine shape to be. "Hi Foob's body!"

Which makes him laugh. "Used to seeing body and mind separately now, hmm?"

I nod agreement. "And outside Hawthorne? I know this whole campus is in your range."

"A mixed bag", he says. "A lot of horny young men who choose not to hear the bit about girls and being friends first. Some intrigued lesbians. Quite a few disgusted homophobes or prudes, and your connection to Sara just amplifies that. The God squad, predictably, thinks she's dragging you down to hell."

"Perhaps tomorrow, I gotta visit grandpa", I quip.

"Ha, yes, they would be unsurprised. The machinations you predicted are indeed in play, I'm no precog, and can't tell you their outcome. But your brainstorming has covered the arguments they're planning to raise. And of course, any number of bullies now think you're fair game. On the upside, many others think you're brave, or interesting, or are intrigued by the change you're going through."

There isn't really any furniture here, so we just park ourselves in the middle of the room. Sara says, "Will you back us, if there's an inquiry?"

Fubar says, "I will tell them honestly what I see. You acted in love, and with consent. You've been paying close attention to her development. You feel that you're able to handle this, and so far you've been correct. You don't know the long term outcome, but expect you will be able to steer it towards good results. When you understood that she had been put at risk of enemy attack by the changes, you were immediately minded to undo them, but accepted her refusal out of love and an understanding that she was earnestly determined. You are very sincerely in love for her and would never knowingly do her harm. And you're full of interesting plans for where to lead her next, that I shan't spoil."

I hug Sara for that, and she squeezes me back.

"As for you", Foob says, "You saw an opportunity and leaped at it, it was mostly unconscious at the time, but your whole self immediately united behind it. You are earnestly in love with Sara, and are enjoying spreading the wings of your new abilities. You feel occasional twinges at the loss of some of your humanity, particularly your original body which was something of a keepsake from your earlier life. Despite this you are absolutely enthusiastic to continue. I do not see any present harm, despite exposure to high level class X information. It isn't suitable to humans, but your mind is the correct shape for it. Given trends, I assume that will only become more so." He chuckles. "And you really rather do want the ability to make tentacles, which I find sweet" I grin at his ones, which he waves for me. "You've got a very adaptable personality and your inclination is to rush towards the other and learn by being changed. I would be willing to tell an inquiry that I find this unusual, but not pathological."

I nod, yeah, he's got me down. "That may be enough to save us, if they aren't determined to ignore it", I say.

Sara nods her agreement. "Englund's the overt opposition here, but I think Lodgeman's the one to watch. He doesn't really trust me. He could come down either way on this. But he'll listen to you."

Fubar nods. "That seems in character."


	7. Part 7

# # Part seven

****7th January, 2007, Whateley, morning****

My sneakers crunch in the snow. They're the only impractical part of my outfit, the long winter coat makes the weather almost warm, despite the overcast. The famed campus store, which I've never yet seen, is an annex to Schuster Hall. Getting there, unfortunately, requires walking overground. With Chou and Fey acting as bodyguards, I'm not actually being jumped, but we get a lot of stink-eye.

Foob's conversation plays out in the background. Unless he's low-balling the number opposed, and that doesn't really seem his way, a lot of these are undecided, or secretly on side, but they feel they have to act the bigot to get along, socially. That makes me sad, and I kinda want to protect these poor kids, some of whom must be feeling like they're punching themselves in the face. So I just kind of walk, chilled out, through it all. I'm not gonna hurt them worse by snarling back. Somebody throws a snowball. I spot the approaching shadow, put a small bend in its way, and it misses. They aren't attacking seriously, walking with the scariest mage and sword-wielder on campus will do that. Of course I don't plan to make a habit of being guarded, but I'll fade from the headlines after everyone's had a chance to gawp, I think.

Oh hey, I know that girl. The blonde who approached me in the library (and if I'm not misreading my memory of her voice, the one who snaffled me, too). From my past life's reading, miss Nightbane, Sarah Gardner. Repeated Sara-stabber, Buffy wannabe, God squad. Seems like she wants to talk to us? Let's put her on the back foot. "Hi, Red."

I've confused my bodyguards, but not her. "Uh, yeah, hi." Weak start, nicely discombobulated.

I ask, "How can I help the Goobers today?" Yes, miss threaten to gut me, I know your secrets.

She does eventually rally. "I heard the radio. It seems you've picked a side."

"I've picked bridging our side and theirs." Chou's looking embarrassed. I think I might be playing merry hob with her cunning plan to get an in with the Goobers.

"So you do think of humans as 'us' still?" She changes from hostile to pitying. "We could find a way to undo this, together. The reverend would surely know someone who could help. Please, you don't have to give yourself over to corruption."

I shake my head. "It isn't corruption. It's just difference. Some of their kind are corrupting, some are gentle and benevolent, if a bit alien. It's those who I'm bridging towards. Thank you, but this isn't something I need saving from."

"Well, my side is humanity. I think their gentle face is just a trap and a mask to deceive us, so I'm sorry but we're likely to be opposed from now on. And, Chou, you need to think about who your friends are."

Chou says, "The balance moves as it moves." Mystic for mind your own beeswax.

And I ask, "Have you wondered what evidence would change your mind?"

She just snorts and leaves. But I think that will haunt her.

"Well, that could have gone better", Fey laments.

Under the ground, Bugs leads the way as we head towards the devisor lab zone. "When you come down here the first few times, get one of us to guide you", she warns. "It's a warren, and some of the ways end in dangerous places. You really, really don't want to barge in on Jobe, for example. You'd be lucky if you only got the polka-dot flu."

"I've already mapped most of it", I say, as another me listens to Foob's verdict. "I stayed out of locked rooms and any place that looked private, or too risky."

She's taken aback. "Mapped?"

"Walked it out, making a new body at each junction. I've covered far further than this."

"Well gosh darn", she grins, understanding how that would work. "You must know near as much as Security does."

"I've considered poking them for a job. But I know they don't like to deputize freshmen."

"It'll stand you in good stead for next year, at least. Ah, we're here. This is where I work." She gestures around, clearly proud of the space. There's a visible egg theme, I'd marked this place as likely when I came through here before, but it's good to have confirmation. I make another four bodies, so I can peek around in detail and have a good look at everything.

"I really have to study how you do that", Bugs says to the nearest me. "Can you imagine an egg that could copy itself?"

I can imagine it, it seems like a very bad idea. "Uh, yeah."

Thankfully, the store is open already, and ducking inside gets us out of the worst of the stares. Whee, this is big. I resist the temptation to walk all the aisles at once and gawp at all the things it sells, I might startle the staff. Instead the three of us head towards the clothing section, which does appear to have sensible outdoor boots, suitable for New Hampshire winters. I browse the options, as my guards take a chance for a breather, sitting on the try-it-on bench nearby.

Fey says, "So what was that conversation? I felt like I only followed half of it. Why'd you call her Red?"

These English lake district style walking boots are nice, definite possibility. "You weren't there when they kidnapped me, but I think Billie told you?" She nods. I continue, "She was one of them. They used the codenames Red and Blue, but her voice is distinctive, and if I was only nearly sure before, her reaction today confirmed it."

"So when you mentioned the Goobers?" Ooh, fleece lined.

"I was letting her know that I had the whole conspiracy unravelled. And that I'd chosen not to drop them in the soup. After Halloween, I imagine Englund's leash is short, he probably wouldn't survive another scandal. Has to leave her wondering why, but the real reason is that I just don't care to. I'd prefer a chance at redeeming them, to the temporary revenge of swatting them for something I could trivially escape today, at least partly because they forced the pace of my change. They're trying to be good, that's leverage." I'm finding my life sorcery attunement is making the preserved cells of the leather and sheepskin resonate, and I almost feel I could... nope, hands off, no necromancy with boots you haven't even bought yet.

"To be honest, I'm looking forward to swatting them", Fey says. "They're buzzing gadflies and their idea of good has a lot in common with Humanity First."

"The head believes they're needed", I say. "She's not stupid, she gave that man more rope for a reason."

"And you'll blindly trust her?"

"I'll defend myself and my friends, but beyond that, yeah."

We're back with Jet. Sara's been calling Doc Otto, as I watch the other me trying to persuade Bugs that an exponential plague of self replicating eggs would be a bad thing. Yes, even if they had good stuff inside like vaccines. It's still no fun to have your continent buried a mile deep. Eventually I manage to get her thinking about telomeres as a way to limit the growth, thank goodness. Sara hangs up. "Alright, he's going to send a warper, he agrees there's security concerns, and speed is of the essence."

A small part of me relaxes fretting. "Uh, good, because I really wasn't looking forward to being back in that car. Nice and comfy as it is."

Jet nods. "Yeah, bad memories."

Sara gives us both a hug. "Me three. I'm going to see if Donna can get herself a different brand, and not in black." We snuggle up against her and I think Jet feels like I do, Sara is home, Sara is safety.

And suddenly, a nondescript man in a Star Trek Next Generation era red-shirt uniform appears in front of us. "Three to beam up?" he asks. Whee, a theme warper.

Sara nods, leads our group hug up close enough he can reach and touch her. "Engage."

I've picked the fleece lined boots. They're probably not quite as sturdy as the others, but the warmth is a comfort. We troop over to the checkout, where, guess what, the checkout clerk is... Peeper. Well then. Oh hey, I didn't think human skin did that colour of grey. He smiles, about the fakest customer service smile I've ever seen. "Uh, hi, miss Parallel." I hand him the boots to bleep with the wand. He hands them back.

"Hi Peeper", I say. "Don't worry yourself. The stuff you spread around, I wanted spread." I kick off the slushy sneakers and lace on the boots. "Can you get these sent back to Poe for me?"

I notice he's looking at me over his glasses. "I can uh, get them cleaned too?" He's trying not to gawp in amazement. Look if you wanna, but you'll get a surprise.

"Yeah do that, thanks", I say, and swipe my card and sign the thing. Contactless can't come fast enough, this is tedious. He checks the signature. Done. Finally, we can head for the woods and away from this fuss. And now these boots are officially mine, I'm gonna make a few slight adjustments.

Down in Bugs's lab, she's showing me how to layout a blank circuit board with a resist marker, develop it under a black-light and then etch the rest of the copper off. Then we're going to solder up a simple circuit. Just a pretty LED blinker, but it's good to show me how to do stuff. Still, it's not very demanding, and I have an idea I wanted to try, so I start singling out facial muscles and learning to twitch them individually, and identify the feel of them moving. There's quite a lot of them, but learning each one doesn't take that long.

As Sara gives the command to engage, I pull my mind's time-base up to the highest speed I can manage. Everything slows to a crawl, but it gives me a chance to experience what a really long range warp feels like. Space bends, here overlaps there, I can see the geometry of it. And we arrive, I put my time-base back to normal. Ack, hungry, even though I just had breakfast like an hour ago. That took it out of me. But I think I can copy that. Oh hey, Donna's here! Both Sara and I rush over and hug her.

Boots on my feet, I can feel a slight sense of the cow's life in the leather, and the sheep that donated the lining. I can feel residual energy, that feels like a memory of pain and death, but somehow I'm sure I could eat it if I wanted to. I deliberately decide not to. Instead thinking silently, and not in English, "I honour your sacrifice, cow and sheep. But if you could slightly change for me in *this* particular way..."

Fey looks at me like I grew a second head. "What on earth are you doing?"

"Upgrades", I say, looking at the boots whose outside is now a rather fetching black with coppery green glints, rather than its previous tan. Somehow, I feel like this is a species I've encountered before, or my kind has. It's significantly tougher than cowhide.

"Upgrades, she says! I didn't feel you pull a scrap of essence. You just... bent things. And now they're slightly off skew. And what on earth are they made of?"

"Dragon hide, I think."

Bugs has a concerned look. "Are you okay? Only you've got a bad twitch. I'd hate it if you got sick or something." I've moved on to the muscles of the neck and upper back.

"It's okay", I reassure her with a smile whose muscles I can individually feel now. "I'm just teaching myself more deliberate control over my movements."

I show her the PCB, and she takes a look. "Well, if ya say so. Yeah, this looks done right, so go plug in the soldering iron and lets start putting them in."

Donna hugs the both of us back with a happy grin. Aww, she's so sweet. An "ahem" from behind us, and oh yeah, Doc Otto is there too. The warper has already moved on, and I have a kind of vector on where he went, although no idea where it leads. "Hi Doc! Thanks for the quick journey." Thanks may not be enough, I have a feeling I'm running up quite a tab.

"Good morning, miss Parallel, Sara, Jet. Not a problem. It's clear your situation just got complicated. I have someone here I'd like you to meet. Jane Harper, one of our on-staff mutant rights lawyers. And since I know of your abilities, I've asked her to bring a computerised summary of the relevant law for you to read first."

In Bugs's lab, one of me is holding the PCB at a convenient angle, while another holds the resistor and solder in place, and a third dabs at it with a hot soldering iron, while practise twitching the unused arm. I'm finding my precision of movement is going up as I start to be able to identify individual muscles pulling to direct and stabilise the arm. The next component goes in faster, and with near a machine precise dab-dab to melt the solder down. I make another me to conveyor-belt and prepare the components. In, dab-dab. In, dab-dab-dab.

Fey looks at the boots. "Dragon hide. And yeti fur lining. And you just did it, like that."

I shrug. "I was dreaming in life runes all night. I felt I could do it, and I did it."

"Don't do anything big with this", Fey says. "Those boots just feel a little uncanny, but if you did a big spell, I think that would be in voodoo wolf territory. You'd taint the whole area. I'd have to come clean it up, and it would be me that paid the essence."

I nod. "Only for emergencies. And I'll ask you first, if I can." That satisfies her.

Chou nods agreement. "Magic like that could distort the balance. It ignores natural exchanges. Consider it a debt against cleaning it up after. Possibly a very big debt."

I nod, somewhat chastened. We're heading into the woods now, and the upgraded boots are completely shrugging off the snow and the brambles, I might as well be walking on warm sand.

As we get deeper in, other me switches on the circuit she's already finished. It's a colourful egg shape, in deference to the teacher, and it sparkles prettily.

Bugs is looking a bit shocky. "Uh, back then you really weren't moving like a human at all. Kinda like an assembly line, of robots. Several different robots."

I realise I've weirded her out a bit, perhaps a lot. "Uh, sorry. Was that annoying?"

"Um, no, I just... wasn't used to it", she says. "You weren't kidding when you said you were changing."

And as other me waves hi to Paige and Erin in the wood, I nod my agreement. "I've barely started."


	8. Part 8

# # Part eight

****7th January, 2007, Medawihla reservation, morning****

"I wanna run", I say to Paige and Erin, as we pick our way through the tangle of unmanaged forest. "I wanna try out this body for real. I've been stuck inside and I just wanna go fast, you know?" I figure those two will understand the urge. I think too, if I'm moving like that, I'll have enough motion data from the muscles to not need to use twitching to track them, and I've got my whole torso and legs to tune up still.

"If we run, you'll be left behind", says Paige. "Exemplar speed is in straight lines."

Erin nods her agreement. "Want to watch our tails vanish over the horizon, hmm?"

"Try me", I say, grinning. "I think I can keep up."

Erin's shift to a lynx form is smooth and silent, she just plops down onto all fours and is furry. No worries about losing clothing, clearly. And those two just set off. I think they were feeling the four walls close in, too.

Off I go! I'm leaping over logs and bounding off rocks, trying to put parkour moves I've only ever watched online into use, as several of me track and check off muscles, and I'm getting more precise quickly. I slide down a muddy, icy gulley. Those two teases are still ahead of me, but in sight, and I watch their motion for tips. Paige is out front, she knows the way. Erin's taking a lead from her. Her quadruped form has more trouble with drifts of snow, but moves more easily along and off the fallen trees and exposed roots. And I can keep up! It's a wonderful, free feeling, like flying through the trees at ground level. Seeing the path ahead, like a golden road, like there's only one possible place I can be and I'm on rails, even as they unfurl smoothly ahead. Off this tree, kick off the stump, forward roll over the rock, slide and grab the branch to swing over the iced-over stream.

There's motion beside us. More heard than seen, but we have company. Keeping pace easily, which I guess means weres? Paige pulls up to a stop in an open clearing, and the two of us pile in beside her shortly after, as deceptively human forms appear from the trees around us. Erin stays in her lynx form, and rubs against Paige's leg. I guess fur keeps electricity out.

"Mornin', cub, fine day for a run in the woods." I'd lay good odds that's Ben. Leader of the group, big but not overtly threatening.

Paige says, "Ben, meet Erin, who goes by Feral", who pops up into human form, clothes included, and grins a sharp smile, "And Jules, who goes by Parallel. This is Ben, second in command around here, and my adoptive father." Yup, guessed right.

I bow. "Pleased to meet you."

Ben says, "Erin, I've seen around before, although it's a pleasure to meet you face to face, young lady. Jules, though, I haven't seen at all. I figure, you're new?"

"I got here last Monday", I say.

"The teleport? Some of our folks heard it, that was one messy, loud damn jump."

That was a long leap to a conclusion, he's smart. I'm going to have to be a bit careful how much I say, but I do trust these folks in general. "I manifested. Not in this universe. If I had to guess, the loud came from punching right across worlds like that. That and the fact I did it without meaning to, while burning up with fever. And I died shortly after."

He nods. "Happens. You got better, hmm? And if I don't miss the scents, fell in with the Kimbas, and Sara's family, pretty damn quick."

"Right from the get go, she was the one who found me in the snow. Instant click, once I came out of the coma."

He nods. "So one thing I wanna ask you about, before I invite you over to come tell your story properly, is why I get a feeling off you that I shouldn't be getting from a regular human. Also if I don't miss my guess, that pattern of boots is sold at the school, but the materials, not so much. An' they have a bit of that feeling too."

Paige jumps in, I think worried that my own words might be seen as less than trustworthy. "Sara's changing her. She's been picking up powers damn near a dozen a day. If she's a bit spooky, that's why."

"Ya should be able to sense it, cub. And ya should have called ahead rather than bring her in here towards places where there's folks as could be hurt, at a dead run and with no warning. Some folks with itchier trigger fingers, might have figured she's chasing you, not playing, and might have started something it would be hard to undo. Miss Jules, I presume, the change is voluntary?"

"Very much so", I say. "I love Sara, and I asked her to make me more like her. Sorry, I should have thought about running like that, it was just wanting to go, push myself, you know? I've been stuck inside. But it was rude. My apologies. And as for calling ahead, we had reason. Although it's a little complicated to explain."

"What's hard?", says Erin. "She has more than one body, she wants to stash one here, so they can't corner her."

Okay, raised eyebrows all around. "Um", I say, "Nobody startle. This is me using one of my powers. Here we go." And I copy myself. "We're both me", other me says.

"Well, ain't that a thing." Ben looks surprised. "How many bodies do you have?"

"Right now, two here, one decoy walking with Fey and Chou, one in ARC with Sara, one with Bugs in her lab. Although that might go up and down by a dozen if I need spare hands for this or that."

"And down?"

Second me disappears, leaving stranded footprints in the snow. "I can vanish them as easily. But I'd rather not vanish the last one."

He nods thoughtfully. "If you've got one outside of any hole they might hope to trap you in, then you're not trapped."

"Hit the nail on the head", I agree.

"Well, come on in and meet the folks, then. Because if I don't miss the smell of you, you're family." Oops.

In ARC, we've finished going over our legal strategy. Jane Harper is willing to come on a call-out to represent us, if Englund tries to make things official. But for now, we don't have anything to do but wait. The alarm hasn't been sounded yet.

So now we have to get back to Whateley. Or rather, they do, I could just vanish this body. They're talking about driving back over, but I think none of us wants to do it.

"I have a better idea, perhaps. But I need to run it by you, Jet, in particular."

Jet looks curious. "Really, me, why?"

"You saw the contract I made, yesterday."

She considers a moment. "Oh!" and then in a worried voice, "Yeah. I'm not sure."

Donna says, "Care to explain?"

Jet nods, "So she has a contract with Gothmog, Sara's dad. Training, in exchange for alliance, and one more thing - she should come to his realm to learn. Jump in here, jump out there, it's like a Wonkavator. But it means going back into somebody's personal realm, and I was in Sara's, and I got hurt a lot."

Sara puts her arm around Jet comfortingly. "Daddy's in full control of his, and he would never hurt a guest."

"Yeah, so I tell myself", says Jet. "But it's like petting a dog after a dog bit you. This one's cute and fluffy and fits in your lap, but your hand hesitates."

I nod. "How about we call him, and ask if he has any ideas to help you feel safer?"

Jet nods. "Can't hurt. Worst case, I can just say no."

I look at Doc Otto. "Is it cool to call him over here?"

He nods. "Go ahead. I'd like to see this."

Okay, hmm. I could redo the ritual, but that doesn't seem necessary, when I can feel the contract stretched between us like a string. So I just say, "Grandpa, could we have a word?"

I'm a little surprised, when nothing immediately seems to happen. Oh wait, there is something - a small and very fluffy black dog which wasn't there before. Pomeranian, or something? Except those normally come in tan. It click-click walks across the floor to Jet, and looks at her cutely tail wagging and tongue panting, and lifts one paw.

Everyone laughs, but Jet also picks it up and hugs it close. "If this is you, Gothmog, you're the cutest thing ever."

It snuggles in her arms and looks up at her. "Well thank you, I do try." That familiar voice is startlingly incongruous coming from a dog small enough to stand on your two palms.

Jet sighs. "Okay, anything that can be this cute, can't be awful. I accept. But Sara, please hold my hand? I'm gonna be jumpy."

Personally I think the logic's a bit off there, but I also trust Gothmog. He jumps down out of Jet's arms and walks towards the regular door. Which swings open ahead of him, revealing a view that definitely isn't anywhere in ARC. Sunshine, warm floral and plant scents blow in, there's a brick path lined with tropical flowers, plants, and palm trees. As he steps through, he resumes his usual, human shape. "Enter freely, and of your own will", he says, which gets him frowned at by Sara. "Daddy! Behave."

We give Donna hugs, then step in, Jet holding Sara's hand. Donna waves bye. The last thing we hear before the door closes and disappears is Doc Otto saying "Well that was the strangest summoning I ever did see."

If I didn't know where I was, I'd say we were some place in South America. The path winds through tropical plants buzzing with insects - or are those insects? Small colourful fast winged things, at least. Birds whoop and yawp from the palm trees, and a building is revealed through them, as we approach. Some sort of hacienda. It's fairly low lying, two stories in parts and one in others, but sprawling, with terracotta tiled roofs. There are colonnaded covered walkways. The walls are painted a gentle pink that works really well under the tropical brightness. The building wraps around a central court with a fountain, and steps rise up to what has to be the main door. Someone's coming down them, in a slightly awkward, machine-like gait. A girl, in a simple yellow summer dress with a wide straw hat. She's looking around, sees us, and suddenly she's running, I can hear the servo whine of some sort of robot exoskeleton, although it's well hidden under her clothes.

"Sara! You're here!" She throws herself at Sara, who hugs her close.

"Petra! Well if this isn't the loveliest surprise."

Seen up close, Petra's a near-clone of her sister, minus the fur, cute kitty ears, and emotive tail. It's weird to meet someone I know and don't-know like this, doubly so because of course I read her adventures. She's clearly wearing her light exoskeleton to get around. If I don't miss my guess, this place has been themed on her behalf.

"So Petra", says Sara, "Meet Jet, who I've told you about, and Jules, who's new."

Petra gives us both a bow. "Sorry, I don't shake hands, I give people shocks."

Jet and I both look at each other and grin. I say "We know, we've met Paige, and we're immune. Jet doesn't have nerves, I insulated mine."

A brief pause. "Okay, I can see there's a story behind this." She looks to Gothmog. "Shall we all go inside?"

He nods. "I have some iced mint tea, if you ladies would like some?" Everyone except Jet agrees they would.

Inside, it's grand, even if the decor does have a hint of very upscale bordello. Lots of skin on show in the schmancy art. Tasteful naked statues. Gothmog leads the group of us into a smaller room with embroidered sofas and a really thick carpet. The drinks and a jug of refills, conveniently, appear on a silver tray in his hand, without needing to be made. We each take one, he puts the tray on a side table. I let Sara give the spiel on my behalf this time, as I sip some very delicious tea, and ponder.


	9. Part 9

# # Part nine

****7th January, 2007, inside Gothmog's realm****

Petra grins. "So you actually took the mark? Damn, girl, welcome to the family. I guess that makes us sister-wives?"

"Yeah, I'm junior wife, I think", I say. "Which is fine by me, I don't have any particular desire to be, thump chest, me Jules, me ruler of jungle. Besides, that's Sara." Which makes everyone giggle.

"Where's your mark?", asks Petra.

It's a pity I went for jeans this morning. Feels a long time ago. "Um, I could show you but I'd have to drop my pants. Which might be impolite."

Petra does a slightly evil grin. "Oh don't mind me."

I look around at the others. I guess, Gothmog's not going to mind. Jet has seen everything, so has Sara. Fair enough then. I unbuckle my jeans and slide them down, kick them off. I did wear underwear. Not that I mind a lot, but I wouldn't want to spoil Gothmog's sofa. "Right there. It's a pity I can't show it off more, we had to hide it at the time."

I don't think Petra actually expected that. She boggles slightly, then chuckles. "Shouldn't surprise me, if you hang out with these two. Ooh, nice. But yeah, you'd need the skirt to be practically a belt if you wanted to flaunt that."

"I could move it, you know", says Sara. "Or you could learn to. Rules say it has to show, somewhere, but the where of it is kinda optional."

Gothmog says, "I suggest, if your plan is to stay here and study, then that might be a good project for you to work on."

I nod my agreement, pulling the jeans back on. "Yeah, I was planning to stay over. I think I would put it here", I tap over my heart, where it would show like a pendant with even a conservative neckline. "I'm kinda fed up of false faces, I want to show the world I love Sara." That gets me smiles from everyone.

****7th January, 2007, grounds outside Poe, noon****

Nikki, decoy me, and Chou have completed our loop through the woods. It was nice, if a bit less of a manic dash than other me's trip. There's lots of wildlife in a winter forest, if you stop and look. But it looks like the hammer's about to drop - as we approach Poe Mrs Horton is waiting for us outside. "Miss Parallel, with me please. Security is here to take you to the head, but this isn't an official investigation yet and you shouldn't need a lawyer. Still, you might consider being careful what you say, hmm?" I nod. "You other girls, run along please." I smile, showing I'm okay with this. Fey looks at Chou, and they head into Poe looking determined.

The two security drones take me along the tunnels towards Schuster Hall, perhaps to avoid the cabbage-and-egg throwing crowds (ahem, I am being overdramatic). And we wind our way through to the reception area of the head's room. As we approach, I can hear shouting. Englund's dulcet tones. "I will not have you covering this up, Elizabeth, I demand to be included." Her response is too quiet to hear. But his is not. "Very well. But you haven't heard the last of this!" and he bangs out through the door and gives me a stink eye. "Where is she? The demon?"

"Nowhere that's your business", I'm not inclined to make nice with him any more.

Headmistress Carson comes out of her door and says, "Darren, that's enough. Leave my office now or I'll have you escorted off the grounds of my school. Last warning." He looks about to say something, decides better, and leaves in a huff. "Alright, child, come in. My apologies for the drama. That's enough, gentlemen." My escort lets me go inside alone.

Mrs Carson shuts the door. "Alright, I need to tell you that you are not officially under investigation yet and neither is Sara Waite. That said, I know she has left the grounds, do you know her whereabouts?"

"She was in ARC", I say. "On her way back now by unconventional means, can we use your door as a portal?"

She raises an eyebrow. "Very well."

The closed door swings open again, but onto a vista of blue skies, sun, and a path through tropical gardens. Jet and Sara step through, Gothmog, who is holding it open, bows to Mrs Carson, "ma'am", and shuts the door behind them.

She isn't exactly stunned, but she takes a moment to collect herself. "Well, I suppose that does save time. Jet, if you could please wait outside? I know you don't like to be separated, but Sara will not be needing bodyguarding in this room." Jet nods, and leaves by the now entirely normal door.

"Please, take a seat", Mrs Carson motions to a couple of chairs, which don't look too terribly uncomfortable. She takes her own seat behind the desk. We sit. She continues "So, you, miss Waite, have been in ARC, presumably to arrange legal representation?" Sara nods. Mrs Carson turns to me, "And you, miss Parallel, I am told security has you on sensors in the devisor area where you're building electronics, and that you also went for a walk outside sensor range in the woods, one went out, one came back, but I'm going to presume you spun off a copy we couldn't follow? And I'm also going to assume that you went with Sara too, were in wherever just linked to my room, and have remained there?" Clearly, she's not stupid.

"I would rather not say", I answer. "Except to note that I was trapped before, just last Friday, and I didn't like it."

She nods. "Fair enough. I have no intention of trapping you, but I'm not the only player in this. That radio interview this morning was incautious, young lady. Yes, the staff and some of the students might have guessed what you confirmed out loud, but it would have been containable. This, now, has reached the whole school. Which means, at minimum, that you are going to have to live with it."

"That was what I chose", I agree. "You know about my previous life. That was a very play-it-safe life, and I feel like I've been reborn, and I owe this new life to not hide myself any more. And I feel, this place needs someone to stand up and be counted as several things that I am, from Sara's lover, to intersex, to not entirely human any more."

She nods. "Idealistic, and I understand it. But given what you've read, you know that I am not in a position to throw the bullies out en masse. So even if nothing else comes of this, it will be upon your shoulders to survive them. Further, you'll be somewhat of an ambassador for your kind, as I perceive that your intent?" I nod. "Which means you will need to be diplomatic. Please avoid picking up the Team Kimba attitude of pile on and punch it." Another nod from me.

"Alright", the head continues. "You both did perhaps the most sensible thing you could, after having a moment's sober thought. You went straight to Mr Geintz to ask him to act as a witness. He then brought the matter straight to me, which has saved you a lot of convoluted explanation. Beyond the mere facts, his word on your character and motivations holds a lot of weight with me. If the matter were only in my hands, I would consider it closed."

I sigh, in relief.

"Unfortunately, it isn't, not entirely. Darren Englund has threatened to get the board involved. I will raise my voice against any further investigation, but I'm not the only vote there. Some may be swayed. You shouldn't stand down your legal counsel yet."

Well, oops.

She continues, "Beyond the legal matters, Sara, Louis told me you didn't know, and still don't know, how what you started will play out metaphysically. That is far too experimental to be acceptable. I am not going to ask you to undo it, Louis was clear that would precipitate an escape attempt at minimum, and knowing your precautions, the escape would probably work, to nobody's benefit. But I am going to be very clear that you are not to do it again, to any student in my school, even if they are consenting, even if they go down on a knee and beg. They can wait until graduation. Am I clear?"

Sara says, "yes, ma'am."

Turning to me, "And you, well, you've had an eventful arrival here, and I'm sorry to drop a burden like this on you less than a week after you even entered this universe, but you are necessarily on thin ice here. Humanity, to the extent it knows of your kind, is afraid of them. Largely that fear is well founded. You, Sara, and her father, are the extent of the humanity-friendly ones we know. A lot of people are waiting for the other shoe to drop. Not a handful, like Reverend Englund, think it already has, and we are missing it because she has a pretty face and a smile. What this means for you, is that what would get another child a detention, might get you expelled. You are to be on your best behaviour. You are absolutely not to harm any student here metaphysically. You are absolutely not to use class X exposure as a weapon, even against the vilest bully. Not for any justification short of saving your own life or that of others, and expect that to result in an inquiry if so. It could go beyond the school and be a federal offence. Sara is under similar strictures, she will fill you in on what is and is not acceptable."

I nod. "I rather expected it, ma'am. This is part of what I feel being an ambassador means. I need to work within the fear and lessen it by example."

"I'll see to it that you get extra sessions with Doctor Bellows", she says. "You've chosen a hard road, and you're going to need support, but I can say that on my behalf at least, I feel you are doing a good thing. I put my trust in you both." Sara pulls me into a hug from the chair beside me.

"And one more thing", the headmistress adds. "You know I'm deliberately lax on relationships between students, and what they lead to. Keeping a lid on teenagers has never worked. But I'm going to insist on two things. First, you're not to flaunt yourself sexually in public beyond plausible deniability. Keep it to kissing and light affectionate touch at most. Keep the rest behind closed doors and within your circle of close friends. I do not care if you feel this would be hiding yourself unacceptably, I need to keep an appearance of decorum here. And the same goes when you are off campus, if you can be identified as a member of the school. Dunwich, ARC, and so forth. Anywhere you're in uniform. Am I clear?"

I nod, "Crystal, ma'am."

"Then secondly, neither you nor Sara is to get anyone pregnant while you are students here. Including each other. That would constitute undeniable proof of rule-breaking, and in both your cases, would set off a panic. I expect you to take the necessary precautions, which I'm aware, miss Parallel, that your powers complicate."

"I believe I can do that now", I say. "If I choose it, I'll be firing blanks. And I will choose it."

She nods. "Very good. Alright. I personally consider this matter closed, but you will be informed if Darren manages to stir up any more formal enquiry. Thank you, you may both go." Then as we turn to leave, a Columbo-like "oh, and one last thing?"

"Yes, ma'am?", I say.

"Get your powers re-tested. I'll have an appointment made. You seem to grow new ones every day, and I need to be kept updated."

"Yes, ma'am."


	10. Part 10

# # Part ten

****7th January, 2007, Medawihla village, noon****

"Well, it looks like there's no immediate panic, although I suspect we haven't heard the last of Reverend Englund", I say. Me and Paige and Eloise and Ben Donner are sat at the kitchen table, I've been relaying what the head said. It seems everyone's cool with me and Paige being co-wives and playmates, as long as Sara's cool with it. She's our alpha, as they see it, so the decision is hers. Which works for me.

"Do you still want to stay over with us?" Eloise Donner asks. "We don't have room for idle hands, so we'd expect you to help around the house. And we're a robust lot. You might find yourself forced to physically defend yourself."

It's a difficult choice. "I don't enjoy pain, Mrs Donner. I'm trying to avoid learning a callous attitude to my bodies just because I can regenerate. I don't enjoy fighting, or hurting people. I did hurt someone just last Friday, and that's still a nasty itch in my mind. The kind of enjoyment I got from it, I could do with never feeling that again in my life. But I'm robust, I learn fast, I'm a low-mid exemplar. If I stay, can I be taught to fight? Not the fancy way, your way. I think I might need it, and I can't get in any of the classes over in Whateley until the spring. And then if someone has a challenge, I'll answer it."

"Call me Eloise, dear, you're family. What will you do if you get scratched up bad and catch the were virus? Mutation doesn't stop it, although regeneration might slow or stop a small dose, a big one will get through."

I glance at Paige's arm, where it's fine in her kitty form. I've never seen her all-human form where she needs the prosthetic. "Um, Eloise, I think I can kill that off. Life sorcery. It doesn't seem to cause a taint when I'm using it on myself." The markings I put on my body overnight have gone completely, now. "At least, not if I do it at a reasonable speed. I'm just nudging things along, not wrenching them magically into a new form. Stopping the reproduction of a virus should be fairly easy. But honestly, being furry would not be the worst fate in the world either." Again a glance at Paige, this time with a fond smile.

She nods. "Alright, I'm not against it. We can give you a trial run of a few days over. Ben can show you some moves. It should become obvious enough whether it's working."

I nod. "Thank you. Change of topic, there was something I wanted to suggest. First off, Petra says hi." I grin, that gets several raised eyebrows. "One of me is presently with her, inside Gothmog's personal realm. She can go to and fro to there from her Brazilian convalescent home. I was thinking, her family could come meet her inside there. That kind of bypasses the question of legality, if you're both travelling to the same off-Earth place, you aren't crossing any borders. You could meet her, Paige. Jo could. Sara already met her today, but had to hurry back out. And of course, Eloise and Ben, you could."

Paige slaps her head. "I am a hundred types of idiot for not already thinking of that. Jo came through there, but I never thought about meeting inside."

"Petra says, I know", I relay with a smirk.

Eloise grins. "That does sound like a good possibility. Although I think we might have to be a little underhanded about it, because if the MCO gets wind, they are going to pitch a purple fit. They'll see the loophole as clear as you can, and they'll see there's nothing stopping Petra stepping out this end except her choice to be on good behaviour. I think even your little stunt in the head's office will cause a bit of quiet panic inside Whateley. They'll be rethinking a few of their wards."

I nod. "Petra says she'll be looking forward to it. I think the idea has made her day."

****7th January, 2007, Whateley, noon****

We've reached a good pause point, in the devisor labs. I've learned a lot, certainly enough to get me started in class. And Bugs is hungry. I am too, but my other body is hungrier. So I'll vanish this one. I thank her for the help, and pop, that me is gone.

The me with Sara is explaining my idea to her. She nods, after our day's adventure it's pretty obvious. And the bypass on the annoying travel laws is certainly convenient. Thankfully it's a short walk to the Crystal Hall, I'm feeling a bit tired out. Other me in Gothmog's fun hacienda is siesta-ing, which I thoroughly approve of as a tradition, after a delicious light lunch of I-think-it-was-seafood. And me over with the weres is helping make bacon sandwiches. (I have been assigned bacon-frying, I think it's a test.)

Sara and Jet sort of spread out to the side of me, as we approach the crowds. Guarding. The stop-a-tank coat helps me feel better, too, as do my stompy boots of eldritch weirdness. Although the coat is gonna be too hot to keep on inside. Today feels like I rode a whirlwind, and it isn't even over. Busyness and noise inside, everyone's back, it's bedlam compared to the sparse calm of the first time I was here. For once, there's only one of me here, and I load up on food. With my guards, I only get a few sharp looks and snide comments. Jade and Billie are still off fighting spider-rats, they'll be fine. Paige is on lettuce and tomato chopping duty, over with other me. But the rest of us are here. I pick a seat right next to Sara.

It doesn't take me that long to fill them in on what the headmistress said. Ayla's main advice is to hold my nerve and not get so crazy at the waiting I kick the hornet's nest again just to make something happen. I could see how that would be tempting. But we've got all our pieces arranged, and it's their move now.

Soon enough the conversation drifts onward to Jade and her amazing babysitting adventure. Is she going to be jetting in and out on rockets every day? Probably not but it's amusing to speculate, and having major superheroes on her CV certainly won't hurt. As for me I just snuggle up against Sara, and get petted, which makes me happy.

Before I came here, I had autism. Not a lot of it, but enough to bother me. I've been wondering whether I still had it. Some of it has clearly been superseded by the changes; I've got more bandwidth than you can shake a stick at, which means no worries about being overwhelmed by stimuli, any more. But I think today answers that question, because I'm feeling more than a bit socially drained. Peeking at what's going on, it's like, I keep alerting for small things. Is this important, is that? Is it dangerous? Being around strangers, in particular, makes me second guess everything. They haven't been comfortably analysed into patterns I can predict. That, at least, is something I can deal with. I task off threads to see what I can build up as characterizations of everyone I see. I'm constantly getting input about them, direct and indirect, sound and sight, I can thread together what I hear about them too, and later I'll put names to faces. Plus there's the stuff I read. Nowadays it's all there for me, clear as text, rather than the spotty digest memory I had when I first came here. It turns out all memory is eidetic in nature, it's just normally kinda buried. But mine has been un-burying itself. I can remember all of my previous life, although it's a bit separated off. Not quite "that happened to somebody else" but certainly "that happened to a different me, in a different world".

Oops, I was wool-gathering. Sara tap-taps me for attention. People are done eating, they're standing up. Have I done eating? Looking down, yeah, I ate everything. The memory of doing so is stored away, but I wasn't really paying it attention. Definitely time for some rest and relaxation, I think. I stand up, wave bye for now to the Poe folks and walk back with Sara.

Over with the weres, Erin's already headed off, not being the stick-around type, Paige is saying her goodbyes to the Donners. No point saying bye to me, I'm both at the origin and the destination of her trip back to Whateley. Ben and Eloise are cool for me to have a nap, here, so I look for a comfortable spot and curl up. Were houses are designed for people who like to do that, and it suits me nicely.

In Gothmog's realm, I'm wandering the pretty gardens (a lot of which, on close examination, are very not-Earth flora and fauna). As I do it, I'm trying to feel out how it all works. I haven't begun to scratch the surface, it's like this unbelievably complex spell-weave. But then, it's not that dissimilar to my own body that way. That too, has started to feel like a spell, or a song, as much as thing.

Snuggling on Sara's bed, I ask her, "Do you still sing? Because I read all about the nightmare at Halloween. It just felt wrong, that you were interrupted like that."

She smiles. "I sing. Mostly solo though, or in class, I haven't performed since then. I'm not jumpy about it, just haven't had the time." A pause, then, "Okay, maybe a bit jumpy. Did you want me to sing?"

I grin. "I'd kind of love to hear it. I mean, you sang a lullaby for me once, but I rudely fell asleep". Which makes her giggle. I add, "I've kind of read a heap of music theory, now, but I'm itching to actually have something to hang it on. Could you teach me how to do it? And I went and raided every sea shanty in the Whateley library, so we could have a bit of a pirate duet."

That makes her outright laugh, and grin happily. "Excellent plan. Okay, so Middle C", and she sings a note. I try and copy, she adjusts how I'm breathing and moving my mouth with mental nudges that are clearer than any verbalized instruction. "C major scale", and she sings the notes, adjusting my pitch by tiny increments. "Now sing along", and she launches into "what shall we do with the drunken sailor", I try to avoid giggling at the implausible dire fates enumerated, as I match her.

While we're having fun, I feel the need for some instrumental accompaniment. I haven't got one, though. But a thought occurs. I should be able to copy a penny whistle from my previous life's memory. If I had a material to work in, but I kind of do - me. I can make myself appear, could I make something like my body processes could, mentally, and make it appear? Shape and detail coming together... and another me appears, with a whistle in hand - one of fresh, white-shining bone. Inactive bone, no vascularisation or blasts or clasts, just hydroxyapatite and collagen. But shaped to cellular precision. And that me jumps in with the counter-melody. Okay, that got an eyebrow raise.

We get to the end of the song, and Sara says, "okay, give, I want to see that". I hand it over with a smirk, because I know she can feel it, it's me. As much part of me as any of my other parts, just separate.

She grins, using teeny tiny tentacles to appreciate the detail. "Nice work. I wouldn't lend it out though. What can you make?"

Jet comes over for a look, Sara passes it to her.

I say, "I'm pretty sure I could do solid things, if I can imagine them. I wouldn't feel up to mechanisms, not yet, that's a lot of fiddly pieces. But if you wanted a cup, or a knife and fork..."

Jet says, "Or a sword?" She's turning the small flute over in her hands.

I consider that. "Well, it wouldn't be very sturdy or sharp. I'll need to learn tougher tissues than bone for that. But I could make daggers, I think."

Jet hands it back to me. "Daggers could be useful. That thing's pretty freaky though. It has an aura. Only living things have auras, normally. There's, like, a connection to you. Sara's right, you give that to a mage, it would be worse than them having your fingernails."

"Freaky suits me", I grin. "Making bone implements - and making them vanish again", as I vanish the flute, "that could be a fun signature move. And it's less necessarily lethal than those gravitic tricks."

And then I make the whistle appear again in the hands of other me, and it's time for some more yo ho ho.


	11. Part 11

# # Part eleven

****7th January, 2007, afternoon****

All of me are asleep. One in a nook with a sunbeam, one on the soft grass of a place that isn't anywhere on Earth, and one on Sara's bed. We, I, draw into focus, no dreams, no sensations, just self. I rest my attention and let thoughts come.

I've ruined everything, I've stirred everyone up to hate me - this is obviously not true, but I recognise that part of me brings this sort of thing up because of slow-burn trauma in my past life. It was easier to feel I was doomed, than that I was the victim of unkind treatment. It was easier, moving into a new place, or a new school, to accept the doom pre-emptively. Thank you, thought, for reminding me of my past, which is the root of my present, but no longer controls it. I accept the thought and release my grasp. It stays for a little while, and then drifts away.

I'm a monster, I'm inhuman, I play music with my own bones because I'm amused to be spooky - well, it isn't a lie, but it isn't the whole truth. I'm eagerly reaching out towards the alien, and allowing myself to be changed, and I'm not sure really how much of the change so far is my nature, and how much is me just hamming it up because I like to. But I'm also kind and ethical, and being very careful not to let my new nature wear away my empathy either for myself or others. I've been given a new life, and I'm grasping it with both hands. More than two hands, in fact. Thank you thought, for reminding me to hold on to what I love about humanity, even as I change. I accept the thought and release my grasp. It stays for a little while, and then drifts away.

I should panic and grab onto everything I can, fill my plate beyond overflowing with experiences, because everything will suddenly vanish away and I'll be back in the old life and stuck and it will all be just a dream - this is just reaction at the newness of everything. A part of me conceals its wish to hide in the familiar with pretend inevitability, because accepting such a sudden change is hard. Especially as I haven't even experienced a full day of schoolwork yet, my new life feels very undefined. But I shall be patient, and it will define itself, and become familiar. Thank you, thought, for reminding me that the routine and ordinary is also valuable as a comfort and a foundation. I accept the thought and release my grasp. It stays for a little while, and then drifts away.

Slowly, the last thoughts clear, and I'm just there, experiencing my many selves.

An indefinable time later, I open my eyes in three places.

****7th January, 2007, Whateley, afternoon****

"Hey there, sleepyhead. Feeling better?" That's Sara, who is Paige-petting on the bed beside me. Said kitty-girl is looking as content as if she'd found the best sunbeam ever.

I smile and sit up. "Yeah. I managed to sort a few things out, I think it helped."

Sara nods. "I'm glad. We need to keep studying, tonight, and the way you were, I was worried it would be too much for you." But she would have done it anyway, that's an interesting implication. Sara's not one to lightly trample on a need for downtime, to my understanding.

I say, "Tell me about this enemy. Whoever he is, he's got you scared. Making you feel you have to rush me to learn."

"You know his name, but I can't say it, I have to be careful even not to think it too much", she says. "We, what the humans call Great Old Ones, and it'll do because we never needed a name for ourselves, in our essence we're more like potentials, abstractions. The first of us to find a foothold in this reality found one here, in a writer you know. But in becoming real, the influence went both ways. He latched onto the man's bigoted, fearful mind and became that himself." She sighs, "this is complicated, you're gonna need to learn to think us-wise about time. That writer lived only a few years ago, but this happened outside time. That one of us became a free agent in the universe from the beginning. Humans are what he hates, and he brought that hate back to our kind. As to why", she chuckles. "We've never met a species in the realities we've touched before that has the potential to become like us. You've got to understand, it's like meeting a game character who might, in potential, step out of the game. Or a puppet that might take hold of the stick and puppet us. Frightening. You didn't even need any genetic tinkering to become reachable at the imaginal level. So you can see how your change is literally the thing he fears most. Him and his faction."

I wince. "Yeah."

She nods. "So. You've already read about the three big powers of the universe. Humans call them elder gods. They've existed from the beginning of things, but they haven't. They were forced into personification by his faction, because he wanted to control the power of entropy and destruction, and he had to pull all three in to get that one. He broke the mind off personified destruction, and started worshipping the mindless shell that was left. This was their attempt to create a weapon for the big war, them versus the powers who were already here. That happened a long time ago, but it was his attempt to pre-empt humans from existing. The war ended in orgy of magical destruction that smashed up the timeline, broke the powers that used to rule Earth, and broke him. As of right now he's stuck half-dead, able to influence but not able to appear. That was the state he was in when he found Lovecraft." She shrugs. "Existing out of time makes for weird loops. Lovecraft named him, and all of the Elder powers, they have dumb racist names because they were named by a dumb racist."

I say, "Seriously? That is... if the universe has a sense of humour, I think it probably hasn't stopped laughing yet. Wow."

"Yeah, don't tell the humans."

"I can't imagine they'd believe it if I did", I say. "So wait, he created your grandma?"

"Pulled her into personification. The universe came with creation as a thing, but now creation's a someone, kinda sorta. She doesn't enjoy it, it gets in the way of doing what she does. Anyhow, so. He gets to be high priest of destruction. Relativity wants one too, because he's like grandma, bothered by being forced to be a person, and he needs someone to wield his power get that fixed, so he taps the broken off mind of destruction. Meanwhile grandma creates a new one of us to be hers, called Kellith."

"She created you?" I'm confused.

"My potential. Remember, outside time. The cause can happen after the effect. She created daddy, to be my father. And she put me in with the humans, to borrow their potential. There was always a Kellith, she defined me into the universe. But the abstraction became reality when my father loved my mother. To be what he needed to be, he had to have empathy, love, care. I got that from his lineage, and grew into a human whose life experiences turned the cold potential Kellith into who I am now. So grandma kind of created a monster, in a way, I'm a hybrid from us to you. Neither of the high priests worked out as the elders wanted. Relativity got a showboating ego. And grandma hasn't got me yet, I've been telling her no. We have philosophical differences. And now I've created you. Well, changed, created, sorta, from an us perspective it feels like created. That's the state of play and sparking you put another piece on the board. The factions are more broken up at this point, a lot of us just went off to do our own thing, but he's still playing the game, and we're playing opposition to him, and we just queened a pawn."

"Well damn." I chuckle, but it's laughing in the face of fear that I now understand too well. "So basically, I had better start learning to punch like a queen in a hurry, before he sends a bishop or a rook my way. And probably takes out the school in the blast radius."

"Got it in one. And so - sorry, Paige, I need to get up - time for sorcery lessons again."

Over in Gothmog's realm I'm listening to Sara explain but I'm also exploring his library. He looks proud of his collection. Literally every erotic novel, scroll, cuneiform tablet, fan-fiction, everything made by humans and aliens. Everything that has even a hint of kink or smut, he has a copy. The library must extend for miles. That's most of the library, but it's not the only thing he has, there's books on an eclectic variety of subjects, and a big spooky section. Unlike Whateley, that's just shelved in the open, here. Reader beware, I guess. Some of those, I expect, are going to become my textbooks.

I'm relaying to him and Petra what Sara's telling me. Petra has the incurable giggles as a result of the idea of Lovecraft naming the elder gods. Gothmog looks a little resigned. "My daughter has her way of telling things, but she isn't wrong. The two of us have chosen to become protectors of this strange, ever varying, extremely cute species called humans." He glances fondly at Petra. "There's a few of our kind out there who're on the friendly side of neutral. A significant number, who have abandoned the factions entirely, but they often see humans as playthings or prey. And a small handful who are still either obligate, or philosophical members of his faction. His mind's influence, and theirs, is why your human world is so full of darkness. Fighting that darkness is what my daughter's cult, and mine, work at in the world, even if it seems to be very indirectly."

"We've never talked about it yet, her cult", I say. "I know Paige is her high priestess, but she's never seemed that religious. And Sara knows I was interested, but hasn't raised it."

"It bothers her", Gothmog says. "Being a goddess, being worshipped, she can do it, but she hasn't fully grown into it yet. She has human feelings about it. Paige understands and doesn't press the matter. But then, she doesn't need to. Lying in the lap of her goddess, receiving loving caresses and loving her back, isn't that the very most powerful kind of ritual? Can even the Pope claim the same? They're subtle, these two." He smiles at Petra, who grins back.

We climb the stairs - everything in the library is beautiful, aged wood banisters, deep carpet, brass fittings - and we're in the spooky section. Books that look like they're made of stuff you shouldn't make books of. Weird alien gadgets. Things that rattle their chains and snap teeth or extend tendrils when you pass them. Petra doesn't look too happy about being here.

"Alright", says Gothmog. "Sara is teaching you runes, over on the other side. So over here, so as not to create interference, we're going to cover theory and abstractions of sorcery. Those are thing I judge, you, Petra, to be safe knowing. I feel, stretching a little way in that direction will help your recovery."

Petra closes her eyes, looks down, takes a few deep breaths. "Alright, I trust you. But I'm afraid. Last time I touched Mythos stuff, I got burned bad, and I know you know that. So how does exposure to more, help?"

"Your mind got twisted out of shape", Gothmog explains. "It rebounded back, but not all the way. You've had some time to get over the rawness of the injury, so now what we're doing is comparable to physiotherapy, which I know you've experienced. Stretches to regain protective mental flexibility."

"Oh Goddess, more physio?"

"I'm afraid so."

And so he brings down a book, and we start to learn.


	12. Part 12

# # Part twelve

****7th January, 2007, afternoon, Medawihla reservation****

The weres aren't big on mod-cons. I'm figuring partly it's because they're boisterous and break stuff easily, partly to keep up appearances, partly because the things must whine and hum annoyingly to ears that aren't deaf as a human post. Anyhow, Ben has taken me out into the woods to help cut wood for heating and cooking. I suspect, also to get me away from the village where sharp hearing makes private conversation impossible. We're both strong enough to tote a big pile of cut wood, but getting it through the trees is going to be a bother. I'm concentrating hard on my gravity sensing to try and make myself better at feeling where all the obstacles are, even when I can't see them.

"So kid, you've run yourself into a bit of a complicated situation, out here", Ben says, conversationally, as we're walking. "We had a big attack about a month back. Lot of people lost family, they're grouchy and short fused. Then we had reinforcements come in, but they're strangers. So the pack ordering is still shaking itself down. Lot more dominance fights than you'd get in a settled pack. Lot more unpredictability. Not much discipline. Chances are good you're gonna get challenged. I hope that idiot boy Carl learned his lesson, but he might try for you, because you're with Sara and Paige. So I figure learning to fight is kinda high priority, if you plan to stick around."

I nod. "Whenever you want."

"Okay", he says. "We're gonna start by cutting wood, then a little jog. Then, when you're sore and puffed, you get to fight."

"Sounds fun", I say, because it doesn't sound fun at all, but there's no sense in whining.

"Ain't nobody gonna start trouble when it's convenient to you. Only when it's convenient to them", Ben points out. "Okay, we'll be cutting here. Look for dry dead wood, off the ground. Dead standing trees. Fallen trees that ain't resting up against the dirt. But keep an eye out for broken branches overhead, hung up in the tree and ready to drop. They can come down silently if you or the wind shakes 'em loose, and break your head in, and if you'd probably survive it being who you are, you wouldn't find it enjoyable. They call those widow-makers. And if the wood's hung up against another tree, call me over, I'll show you how to get it down safely. That can be trouble too."

I nod my assent and set to work. Gravity sensing helps reassure me I'm not about to get whacked upside the head by half a tree.

Other me is learning, and I'm finding the snowy forest to be full of reflections of the life runes I'm picking up. It's kind of like that Matrix movie where the forest can almost seem like one big spell, of impossible complexity. I'm reminded of Gothmog's realm, although the weave is closer to the surface there, it's more obviously made, although by an enormous and alien mind. There's a certain unity and shared tone to it. If there's anything like that out here, in the physical world, it's too vast for me to see yet.

I kind of wonder if some hint of Sara's blood-sister ritual link to Fey has come down the spark and become part of me, because I'm getting a sort of "life sense" now, a runic feel for the place around me. I can feel dead wood from live, for example, the living trees are barren at this time of year but they're brimming with respiration and cell processes. Dead ones are passive matter, but filled with decay-life. I can feel the hyphae shining inside the wood, and the little insects digging into it. Some old trees feel like a mix of alive and dead, which is strange but I guess plants are different like that.

After awhile, I've got a collection of logs and sticks, and Ben shows me how to cut them to lengths and bind them up with ropes to the backpack-frame I brought. Quite a lot of scout-type knot tying is involved, and the end result looks heavy as hell, but thankfully is under my one-and-a-half ton lift limit. It does make my feet sink in the dirt some, though. Whee, it's weird being able to do stuff like this. Even if I am thoroughly unimpressive for Whateley. Ben does up his own pack, and then says, "alright, feeling up for a run? Good, follow close."

Precision movement helps with anticipated obstacles, but my heavy feet keep slipping and there isn't always the time to optimise a path through brambles and undergrowth. I'd be cut to ribbons if I wasn't healing the scratches and bruises as fast as I was picking them up. And I'm feeling absolutely shattered. But I realize as I run that there's something I can do about that. Life sorcery with a gentle touch, I can pull scraps of sugar and minerals from the sweet tree sap that I can feel all around me, hints of glycogen from underground fungi, water and salt from dirt, never take more than a taste, but I'm continually moving on. Okay, this is cheating the hell out of training, but it's amusing. And when we pull up to a stop, I'm not exhausted. I could probably have just kept running all day. Ben sees it. "Well, damn, kid. You're spookier than you let on."

"Figured out a new trick", I say. "Provisioning on the run."

He's guessed it was magic of some sort. "You gonna harm our forest?" And he doesn't look approving.

"Shouldn't do", I say. "Lightest touch, no taint. Take less than they can spare."

He nods. "Fair enough." I feel I've shook him some though. He takes off his pack and finds a log to sit on. "Well, I can't do that, so your training's gonna wait a moment."

I take my pack off too, find a spot and toss my coat down so I can sit cross legged. Release thoughts, rest the attention on the breath. A fight is not a prank and should be approached with seriousness even if it's training, so says my inner Jedi.

Gravity sense, a form approaching fast from behind. Life sense, predator. I throw myself crudely sideways and roll, tracking the object as it moves through where I was and turns to follow. Bounce myself upwards with an arm, I couldn't do that if I were human but I've got plenty of muscle to throw my own negligible weight around. I go high enough I can grab at a branch that gravity sensing can feel. And I dangle, and look. Some guy, native looking.

"Good start", says Ben. "Didn't say I was gonna fight you *myself*. Meet Caleb Lost Feather."

"Kid doesn't move like a human", Caleb complains.

"She ain't.", Ben agrees.

I let myself drop, breaking the fall with a slight crouch more from habit than necessity. "So what's the terms of the training? I presume attacking me was to see if I'd be clueless, or fly off the handle?"

"Just to see how you reacted, kid", Ben says. "You got out of the way, you got to a moderately safe vantage, and assessed the situation. Good choices. Except that hanging off a tree doesn't give you many reply moves if they follow."

"Teleporting, or warping, or a new body and drop the stranded one", I offer. "Yank on the branch and go up, then bounce off the tree. But you're right, it's constrained. Dropping would be bad."

"If you're falling and you can't fly, you're undefended", he agrees.

"I kinda can, but it's not too coordinated", I say. "I might manage a dodge but it would be clumsy."

Ben nods. "What we're training today, using powers that aren't part of your physical body is out. No flying, no magic, no warping or teleporting, no new bodies or vanishing them. A dominance fight is a conversation. You need to convince your opponent, and your audience, that if they fight you again they'll lose again, so they stop coming. If you win by what they'll consider tricks, the first thing they'll think is, next time she won't get lucky. So they don't stop. So the terms of the training, as you asked young miss, is, to start with, I want to see you and Caleb fight. You can both use any physical tricks you know. No weapons, no shifting, full or partial. Avoid killing blows. Stop at tap out, unconsciousness, or when I say stop. No arguing with the ref." He grins. "Well, what's keeping ya? Git to it."

How to handle this? Well, I can take a lead from Ben's "She ain't". From my previous life I've a useless smattering of various martial arts, from this one I've got an inhaled but largely unexamined library of styles and forms. But martial systems are about generalities, what if I just work with specifics? I know how my body can move, I think. I know anatomy. So just take the fight like a problem to solve. Caleb's probably stronger, he'll regenerate, he can likely take the punches I can throw, or Ben wouldn't have put him in harm's way. Avoid arteries, and avoid breaking bones towards them. Spinal hits should be fine. Avoid skull and brain damage beyond a concussion. The environment is three dimensional, and I can sense it in a full sphere around me. Trees are surfaces, any orientation works. And gravity is pretty weak compared to my deadlift, so my body is a ball I can bounce.

Caleb's moving towards me at a half crouch. I'm just standing. I let myself topple forward like a log, he wasn't anticipating that at all and it throws his response, he steps back but I've caught my fall on outstretched hands and turned it into a rolling handspring that lets me kick him in the chin, absorb the reaction force with bent arms, then throw myself over his head, spinning in flight by throwing my arms out and around, twisting my waist, backhanding him into a tree. That throws me a distance away, foot bracing against a tree, I stop my momentum for a moment, then drop to an all-fours landing and push up bounce back to standing.

Caleb's up. "What the fuck style is that?", he asks, rubbing his chin.

"None. She's smart and untrained, she's making it up", yeah, Ben gets me. "Quit thinking you're fighting a human. Think terminator." Yeah, me and Arnie. But I suppose it has some merit. What would Arnie do? Smash with overwhelming force.

From standing, I slide forward into a shuffle step, then kick off hard from the back leg when the front is at apogee, heading right for Caleb, up close in his face. As I come in I feint a simple right cross to the face, he guards, then I duck, front foot touches with a forward push and brakes my lunge into a rolling forward fall but the pulled punch becomes a down-falling elbow into the hip-thigh crease with my whole weight and speed behind it, pop goes the joint. Caleb screams as he's slammed down to the ground by my weight and onto the dislocated hip, and I shoulder roll over him and turn back.

"Stop!" says Ben. I stop still. "Enough. Caleb, let me see that." Ben examines the dislocation with expert fingers, then braces a knee, yanks and pops it back in. More screaming. I wince. That sound is going to bug me, I really don't like hurting people. Caleb, panting, lies on the snow to recover.

"Alright, kid", Ben says. "I figure you know the answer I'm gonna give you. You fight okay, it's effective, that's what counts. A bit needlessly showy. But neither I nor Caleb can teach you a darned thing. You've got your own thing going. Cluttering it with proper form would just cramp your options."

I sigh, but it makes sense. "Sorry."

He shakes his head. "It works, it'll do. Now give Caleb a hand up and no hard feelings, okay?"


	13. Part 13

# # Part thirteen

****8th January, 2007, morning****

We finished "grandma's book" last night. That and Gothmog's theory book left my mind reeling overnight, and Sara rode herd on my dreams all night to make sure I didn't accidentally unleash a plague or something. I can feel it changing my perspective, and it's going to take effort to avoid being warped out of shape. Really easy to see life from her perspective, as this enormous process creating itself, where the individuals don't matter. That's one valid perspective, but it's not the only one, is how I've decided to frame it. Still, I seem to have a knack, and that's good, it means I've picked up a potent weapon. Because I really could unleash a plague, personalized or species wide, very easily now. But best set that thought aside.

Me in Whateley slept the night in Poe. In Gothmog's house, I slept alone in a gigantic, silk sheeted four poster bed. Yeah, I can see his hand in the design of Sara's room. I offered to stay with Petra, but she doesn't feel like she knows me that well yet. I can understand that. With the weres, I found a curl-up nook, and was joined by a kid called Cindy. Just sharing the space, but she told some good stories about when she first met Paige, who was really jumpy with blood rage then. She seems to have more of a handle on it these days. Spending so much time around Sara probably helps.

Today's going to be the first day of school here for me, although it promises to be weird as I'm kicking things off in the oddball, all-electives winter term. And doubly weird as I'm going to have to split myself between two and five ways at once to take the classes I'm booked for. Everyone else is a whole autumn ahead of me, although my reading should help. That means I don't have a team, and I can't get into even basic combat stuff this term, except the class called "combat movement" for non-violent types. That won't start until tomorrow, Tuesday. I'm going to ask if they can set up remedial combat class for me, so I don't have to wait a whole term and then start from zero.

****8th January, 2007, morning, Poe****

I'm up, so I might as well get clean. Getting out of bed is a short, lazy warp, and then I'm padding across to the showers, ramping up my body heat set-point a bit so the cold floor doesn't matter. It's busy, of course, and Ayla's ogling Billie, who's stark naked and dripping, floating overhead with her legs wide open and towelling off, okay, I admit the view is nice. But it's impolite to perv at friends without permission. Toni finger-prods Ayla, who jumps like she's been shocked. Ki wackiness, presumably, I really need to learn that. Billie just flies herself sideways and towards the exit, but stops seeing me. "Jules. I was looking for you when I got back. You knew, didn't you? Everything, the fake baby, the spider rats, the dungeon dimension."

"I knew", I admit. "You weren't in any danger. Weak-ass demon, and the dungeon belongs to a friendly mad scientist."

She sighs. "In hindsight that's true, but it still bothers me you didn't say anything at all."

"It was an adventure. You'd have just felt kinda continually disappointed if I'd spoiled it for you. Don't worry, I won't keep actual dangers secret, if I know them. Which is not guaranteed from roughly now on."

She nods. "Fair enough. See you at breakfast." And heads off to dress.

I must have missed some conversation because Jade zips past me doing the crazy villain laugh. Aha, that's one I think I do remember. Fun fun. And then the queue moves forward. On the way past I say to Ayla, who's on his way out, "If you want to ogle, and not be doing something that the person wouldn't consent to, its cool to look at me. Not that I'm up in the top ten like Fey..."

A voice cuts across, "You ain't in the top one hundred, why would he look at you?" A black girl, and I hush the part of me that is spitefully thinking she's not in the top one hundred either. Ayla nods, but makes his exit, he clearly wants no part of this.

Toni says, "Oh yeah, Jules meet Sharisha, Sharisha meet Jules. Jules ain't got no shame, Sharisha ain't got no sense."

"Nice to meet you", I lie, politely. "The answer is, whether he wants to is up to him. Each to their own."

"You another one of those boy girl freaks like miss thing here?" Sharisha clearly isn't making much effort to be polite. "Cuz I think it's a shame that you freaks are putting on an act and fooling people, but artificial don't taste the same as real."

I move my towel from my waist to slung over my shoulders, so she can see everything. "More ways than you know. But I suspect, you're guessing about tastes." Meow. Self, be nice.

"Oh fucking wonderful, another boy dick with tits. Like we don't have enough, are real women going out of style?"

Toni says, "Back the fuck off, Sharisha. Everyone here's got secrets."

"And I wish I'd never told mine", she says, leaving in a huff.

I smile my thanks to Toni. And then it's my turn to wash. While I'm showering (ah, lovely warmth), Toni asks me, "So how come you don't care at all about being ogled? It something you got off Sara?"

I laugh. "Sara would be like, pose, pose, did you get a good angle, should I bend over?" Which sets Toni snickering because it's true. "As for me it's more like, I'm really happy to have this body, and why not spread the love? I like being me. I like looking at me. If other people do too, then yay. I probably wouldn't date Ayla because he's such a guy and I doubt he's as poly as I am, but I don't mind if he checks out my ass. And better to aim it at me than at someone who'd be embarrassed by it."

"Huh. I guess that works. As for me, I just don't get embarrassed by anything", Toni says. Understatement of the year. "But I know it bothers Nikki. Billie's just a complete space case. I think Jade has to remind her to wear clothes out of the house." Which I laugh at the image of. Oh hey Billie, you forgot your pants, so here they are with Jinn inside. "Anyhow, see you at Tai Chi", Toni says, heading out.

Alright, shower done, water shaken off with a teleport, and I'd better get dressed and downstairs. Back to the uniform today, but I don't hate it. Even the store bought one wasn't made of horsehair and doormats, unlike some schools I could name. This one from Cecilia fits nicely and feels silky. Reminds me, I should get back over there and see if she can make me an outfit I'd look hot in, because I don't really have the practise to pick one out myself. And I'm not sure what the requirement for "formal dress" for the Exemplar Grace thing is, but I bet she could make one. They'll get me in my uniform the first lesson, though, that'll be later today.

The Tai Chi group is me, Fey, Toni, and Chou today. And this time around I'm not distracted by fun with Sara (no, must not detail-remember that memory right now, save it for later when me and my fingers have time). With enough bodies to compare to, I tighten up my physical form some, but I'm really not sure how the ki side of it works at all. Toni's helping this time. "Try to think like, you're not moving your body. You're moving your intent, and your body is flowing along effortlessly. Sink down. All your movement should come from the ki center under your belly button."

"Dantian", Chou helpfully supplies the name of it.

"Yeah, one o' those", Toni agrees.

At the end of the practise, they agree that my form's good, and I'm coming along on the intent thing. It's amusing to have this one thing I'm pretty much a baseline at, given all the other scary high-level stuff I've been picking up.

At breakfast, I double myself up so I can go give Sara a big hug while I'm waiting in line. She always feels down at breakfast when she's got to eat some cute animal in public, this time it's a big, very long haired, much beaten up looking cat, that was probably king of the strays in its time, going by the missing eye and shredded ears. "Kitty will probably have fun in your realm" I say to her, and she nods. I think I understand that place a bit better now. It's got a real "grandma" feel to it. It's kind of how she's chewing over the big hidden war she's got swept up in. I wonder how Jade and Gary will change it?

Me and other me both make it to the tables around the same time, with other me handing me the second tray before she goes to sit with the Kimbas. Sara gets eating the cat over with fast, then sets the cage down. I just enjoy listening as Paige asks about subject choices. Looks like a lot of people don't firm up what lessons to take until the first day. Everyone's shocked Paige gets along with Hartford, she's someone I haven't met yet. Not sure where I'll stand in her hierarchy of enemies and allies. I'm guessing low, on account of some of my friends, and the people they consider enemies. Glancing over, I can see what has to be the Alpha table. I'm still piecing together hints about who's who, but I know some of the dramatis personae. Although nobody looks like the Don. Oho. Today is his no good, very bad day, now that I remember.

"What's got you amused?" Sara asks curiously.

"The Don", I say. She's seen my memories of reading. And so a moment later she gets a sharp toothed smile.

"I wish I could be there for that", she admits.

"We get to enjoy the aftermath at least", I agree. "Oh, and Englund's hiding miss Seraphim from you in Dickinson, it would be a shame to mess up his plans by becoming her friend."

She snickers. "It's really not going to be his best term, with us two ganging up on him".

"His choice to start hostilities", I say. She nods.

Meanwhile on the Kimba side, everyone's talking about the courses. I'm going to be in a few of the ones they're mentioning, so I listen in quietly. Ayla gets teased a bit for his highfalutin' choices. One of the older, Asian looking Poe girls I don't know asks me, "So, Jules, Parallel, right? You're being real quiet, have you already made your choices?"

I nod. "Yeah, for me it's easy. I'll take everything that doesn't need stuff I missed in fall term. So most of the fighty stuff is out, and I'm not in a team yet, but I can take the rest. A lot of it, I didn't do the lessons, but I read the texts. So I should be able to test in."

"Uh, that conflicts, you know? You can't do them all at once." It takes her a moment. "Oh! I guess you can?"

"Yeah, my adviser is having kittens about it as we speak, but I think I'll be cool to just drink the entire fire-hose", I agree.

"Jealous now", she grins. "You're going to have one interesting time here."

Meanwhile Ayla's grousing about overlaps is cut short when everyone stares at her, and breaks out giggling. Oho, it has begun. I watch with amusement as Jade's animated shoulder angels tease Ayla. Missed an opportunity to do a suave boyish Lucifer, in my opinion. But Jade is Jade and subtle is not her middle name. Ayla-as-a-girl does look smoking hot in the smutty devil outfit. Not that he looks happy about it. Poor guy.

Okay, enough of that, I need to head to lessons.


	14. Part 14

# # Part fourteen

****8th January, 2007, Whateley, morning****

Team tactics is the first two periods of every weekday this term. That's where team Kimba are going to be, every day. It looks like the school has deliberately scheduled the overlaps to be all the soft, gentle classes for the kids who aren't training to be the next X-men. First period, I've got something called Non-linear Equations as Relating to Game Theory Calculus, which sounds fairly basic. Also, double period of "Necromancy, threat or menace", it should be interesting to see how that links up with my life sorcery. Second period I've got one on the history of renaissance Italy, that I've promised Ayla I'll share notes on. The Kimba table me can go to math, and the me with Sara can walk with her to the necromancy class, that we're both in. Then at second period I'll send the math body to Italian history. Third period will be all change.

Walking with Sara over to Kirby Hall is quiet joy. I am pouring love at her down the mark, just because I can, and she's sending love and amusement back. We may be banned from too-excessive PDA, but there's no reason I can't hold her hand as we walk. Yay, this life is absolutely the best.

Whoops! Twenty-three snowballs inbound, as clear on my gravity sense as if I was facing them. I deflect a few with warps and stop the others, tossing them back. Uh, wait, stop them how? Um, tentacles. That are not Sara's. Oh wow, they came from me.

I CAN DO TENTACLES!

O.M.G. and whee! I retract, and extend them again. Then tentacle hug Sara, completely ignoring the idiots chucking snow at us, although they've backed off a bit at the spooky display. "I did them! Mine!"

Sara grins too because my enthusiasm is infectious. "You really did! Well done, I told you you'd learn how."

"I'm not sure I really know how yet, but they're there", I admit. "Must explore this more. Hmm, but later. First..." I use tentacles to grab up a small snowdrift worth of snow and dump it on the persistent throwers, who splutter and complain. That's them sufficiently dissuaded for now. I can feel what I'm touching as if the tentacles were fingers, but the cold ice doesn't hurt. Unlike Sara's, which are opaque black and look like rubber, mine are smoky blue, and barely there to the eye. They look like that science toy, aerogel. They aren't biological. I could probably grow them out that way, now, but it would take hours of patiently instructing my cells. These appear and disappear on a whim, take whatever shape I imagine, and they pass right through my clothes without making holes. While being solid enough to grab snow. Some kind of solidified sorcery?

While I'm being fascinated, we reach class. I'm too distracted to note much except that Kirby Hall is a weird, Tudor looking style.

Necromancy class is fun. I sit down with Sara over on one side of the class, Buffy wannabe Nightbane goes and sits on the other, and gives us "I stab u now" looks, with Sara blowing kisses back. Poor Beltane is stuck in the middle between us facepalming harder than captain Picard. I give stab-girl a tentacle wave, and she goes *white*. Like if the chair wasn't holding her up she'd have fallen over white. Oh dear, poor corrupted me. Insert evil laugh here. Well, more like evil snicker, but Sara and I do a tentacle high five. (is that a high one? Anyhow.) Score one for team monster.

The teacher's a miss Grimes, who I've read about but not met before. She really does look like a Hollywood witch. It's kind of awesome, although admittedly I am happy enough right now I'd think anything was awesome. The rest of the students seem to be a mixture of goths and preppie types. Nobody Sara seems to be friends with, which gets them off on a back foot with me. Miss Grimes starts off talking about how necromancy is wrong because it breaks the cycle of life.

I telepathically nudge Sara. "Am I right this is nonsense? Souls are made of immutable, timeless stuff. You can't break them and you can't keep them in any cycle forever."

Sara telepaths back, "A lot of them cycle loads of times by human standards. But not forever, no. And the immutable unit is much smaller than one human soul, so they can be shattered apart. Or bent out of shape and it'll take awhile to unbend. But she's making mistaken assumptions. The soul gets called back here, therefore it can't reincarnate there. Wrong, it's fine with being here as its old self and a tea vendor's newborn daughter in Bangalore at the same time. That's how they can go to the afterlife, and also reincarnate. You know from personal experience, one soul, many selves."

I nod and resume paying attention to the lesson. A few people are clearly bugged by the idea of having to give up their spook-chatting ambitions. The idea of rebranding is brought up, which just makes me giggle. Miss Grimes catches the giggle and asks what was funny. So I say, "people who are going to do necromancy anyway should just own it. The idea that they can change the label and put on a suit and suddenly they aren't associated with graveyards and dribbly candles or people with goatee beards going "mwahaha" is just silly. And honestly, a bit creepy. A euphemism makes it clear you're hiding something, and you know it's something you should hide. Nobody's fooled."

Miss Grimes, who is clearly the play-it-straight type, nods her agreement. "A valid point." Beltane gives me a slight smile. I get scowled at by the preppie types. I bet they are the kind of people who invented the word "downsizing" for sacking people. Idiots. I wouldn't trust them to necromance without being assholes about it. Suddenly, I feel very protective of ghosts. I raise my hand.

"Yes, Parallel", miss Grimes sees me.

"I have a point we haven't considered yet. Ghosts are people, if temporarily disconnected from a body. Summoning people up and making them do things is slavery, which is disapproved of in most places. I don't see why that should change just because they died." That gets me a smile from Sara, who has the whole being summoned issue too.

That changes the topic to whether ghosts count as slaves, and whether one can work out a fair employment contract with a summoned being (Sara arguing for yes), which takes us up to the end of the class.

My other classes over the first two periods, well, the math is okay, although like I thought a bit basic. We're supposed to produce some sort of term project. I haven't decided what to do there. Renaissance Italy, we covered in overview in the first lesson. It seems to be an extremely stabby place. It's hard to study something I actively disapprove of as much as the so called "age of discovery" (for which read, colonialism, and the destruction of indigenous people and their cultures). But it happened, and ignoring it won't make it vanish.

Third period means the violent types are out to roam, and that means a change of tone. For me, intro to the Whateley ranges, and flight. I decide now might also be a good time to see if I can buttonhole the combat senseis and get into a remedial basic class. Martial arts are held in the same place as flight, so the me with Sara hugs her bye-until-lunch and heads there, while the me in history heads to the ranges, which are underground, under the same building.

Down in the range, I instantly recognise the instructor from my reading, even if she barely looks older than this body does. White stone skin, cobalt blue tattoos, military attitude, black jeans. Caitlin Bardue. So she's still taking classes, hmm? We all shut up when she starts speaking, giving us a litany of warnings about what she'll do to us if we twitch an angstrom out of line.

Billie's in the flight class with me. We're working in a high-ceilinged room indoors, and the intent of the class is to improve precision and grace. Definitely something I need, although I'm not sure Billie will get much out of it.

And I explore, looking for the dojo. I find it, and peek in, to see if anyone's there. There's a black woman in a black spandex bodysuit with her hair in side-bunches, doing kata alone. She stops and turns to me. "Hi kid, are you lost? There's no class here right now."

"No, ma'am, I'm not lost. Would you be sensei Tolman?"

She nods. "That's me."

I smile. "I was looking for you or sensei Ito. I'm a new student here, freshman but I joined a term late."

"Meaning you've not had any basic martial arts", she nods. "So I'm guessing you're asking after remedial classes?" I nod. She looks at me. "Got any prior experience?"

"Negligible", I admit. "Taekwondo in childhood, one yellow tab. Boxing slash kick boxing, basic punches and kicks at low speed, up to light sparring. All in a different body. In this body, what I have is improvisation and powers."

"A different body... story for another time, I guess. Alright, so it's unlikely you can just test in, unless your improvisation is very good."

"Good but unpractised, I've had less than a week, and less than two days for most of it", I say. "Got another physical capability this morning."

She raises an eyebrow at that, and nods. "List your powers. Only relevant ones, please."

"Exemplar three. Regen six. Warper with teleporting and space and gravity distortion, which also gives me flight, sorta, as well as a 360 degree gravity sense. Multiple bodies and I can appear and disappear them at whim, multiple parallel minds, extreme mental processing capability, perfect memory. Precise muscle control. I can make and unmake weapons out of biological materials such as bone. I'm not sure if life sorcery is relevant, but I could definitely reconfigure my body to be poisonous or infectious, given time to set it up. It gives me a life sense which people register on. And just today I added tentacles like Carmilla, although the means by which I create them is something I need to study."

She's scribbling it down, and looks a bit impressed. "Okay, that is a heap of raw ability and then some, but basically you have no clue what to do with it short of making it up as you go along, right?"

"I memorized every anatomy text here and at ARC, so I can deduce what to hit. But it's an intellectual exercise."

She laughs. "I never tire of learning the new ways you kids figure to do things. Okay, yes, you definitely need classes, if only so you don't go from zero to smash the knee joint on some poor unsuspecting yahoo who expected you to put up your dukes. I'll see when I can fit you in. What slots do you have free?"

"Any of them", I say. "Multiple bodies, multiple minds. I'm taking two other classes as we speak."

"Okay, that's a new one even for me. Well, write your codename and campus email on this bit of paper, and I'll mail you when I've set up a time."

"Thank you, sensei", I say.


	15. Part 15

# # Part fifteen

****8th January, 2007, Whateley, lunch****

The short gap between lessons makes lunch more of a hurried affair than it has been in the few days I've been here. Thankfully I can join everyone at the two tables while also getting in line for food, which gets me grumpy glares from a few people stuck in line. On the Kimba table, the one I was hoping to meet is there.

"Hey Nikki", I say, "I need a kind of opinion on a thing, that I learned to do today, and whether it's bad or not."

She gets that here we go again look, and says "What is it this time? You sprouted a second head?"

"Well.. not exactly..." I tease.

"Spit it out", says Billie, smirking. "Can't be flight, you do a good impression of dropped helium balloon."

"Bah. Some people aren't able to completely ignore gravity. It's this." And I show a small tentacle from my finger tip. "I can do bigger and more, but I'm not sure if it's safe yet."

"Huh, nice", says Billie.

Fey squints at it. "It's a distortion, but it isn't spreading outside the radius of the thing itself. Put it away and make it come back?" So I do that. "Okay, when it's gone it doesn't leave any taint. So it's not dangerous that way. But I think, if an ordinary person stared at it for a few hours, they might get a cumulatively uncanny feeling shading into a strong desire to get away from it. About the same as your boots. And if you made a couple hundred and grabbed them by the face, that would pretty much instantly start damaging them by class X exposure. At a minimum it would leave them with a lasting phobia. I'd avoid that."

I nod. "Wasn't planning to, but it's good to know so I don't get myself in hot water."

"Are you copying Sara?" asks Jade as other me delivers trays of food and then vanishes.

"It's more like I've wanted them since I saw hers", I admit, munching on the very passable tortellini in tomato sauce in between sentences. "They're so damn cute. besides now I can hug her on an equal basis."

Me on the other table is giving Sara a tentacle hug, and she's giving me one back.

Jade giggles. "You two are kinda romantic and cute, in the weirdest possible way."

"The queen of chaos herself has recognised me, I feel so seen", I tease with a grin. "Pity Ayla isn't here."

"I have so many ideas", Jade agrees with a smirk that is definitely chaotic evil yet cute.

Over on the other table, Paige is really looking forward to her code-breaking class. I'm going to see if they'll let me into that one on the basis of having read the texts. I can definitely work a computer a few universes over, but we'll see if that expertise translates. Paige of course is so far ahead of me she'd make Don Knuth cry. But she'll definitely be my senpai this time around. When I say that it makes her giggle.

And then I tell them my shocker. Last period of the day, I've got "special topics in religion". With Englund. Many raised eyebrows at that.

Hippolyta's impressed. "You really don't give an inch, do you?"

I say, "that man has made war on my most beloved in all the world, so no, no inch for him. He gets to have me in his lessons, and I'll even see if I can't force him to give me a passing mark. But I can afford to spot him the F if he isn't willing to be fair about it."

Hippolyta grins, approvingly. "Way to fight a teacher, is make him grudge every grade he has to admit. I like it."

The other things I have are language intensives in Arabic, Mandarin and Spanish, all three periods after lunch, Theory and Practice of the Escape fourth and fifth period, codes and religion in sixth. I suspect I'll speed-run the language classes. I can already read all three fluently, so I'll need to get the pronunciation and prosody down, and any difference in the spoken register versus written, and then maybe test out.

Sara and Paige have decided to take escape with me, which should be fun. Either Sara or I could probably just rip a lock apart - or, now, work the mechanism from inside with tiny tentacles. But it's worth learning to do it the hard way. And Paige can just walk through anything electronic, but I don't know if she's studied regular locks.

As we walk over I say to Sara, "You know, it's been bothering me since earlier. All I've done these last few days is pull you into my messes. When what I want is the reverse, to be there to protect you."

Sara messes up my already messy hair and calls me a sweetie, and says, "much as I sometimes wish, it isn't that simple. We're dealing with the whole of humanity, the local bullies are just the leading edge of that, and we can't just kill all the annoying people without wrecking the big project. So it's a political war. And you're already helping, kiddo."

"Drawing their fire?"

"Modelling what a good one of us looks like. Me, they find hard to believe. I do the scary demon thing too well. But you look like a cute moppet."

"A cute moppet with spooky tentacles" I say, doing a cartwheel on mine just because I can, which makes Paige giggle. It leaves interesting tentacle-prints in the snow.

"Pretty smoky opal blue ones", Sara counters.

"They should learn to see beyond your highly cute outside to your lovable and intensely good inside", I say. Which makes her laugh and noogie me.

Paige cuts in to say "We agree with Jules, they are being obtuse not noticing that you have done nothing but benevolent things since getting here." Hi, Mai.

I say, "Since some of them have been coming at her with one assassination attempt after another, I guess they've seen a lot of the snarling face."

"And yet she does not hunt them down and destroy them. I recognise this tactic is strategically unavailable. But they have not noticed it, or if they have, they think of it merely as an advantage, they have not registered it as goodness."

"I kind of feel like Englund's got mental health issues", I say. "It's not that he doesn't recognise it, it's that he can't. He's not seeing what we're seeing. He's still stuck in some past hellhole. Like a soldier that never came home from the war."

Sara nods. "I suspect it, but I'm the worst placed person on campus to do anything about it. If I poked into his dreams to try and give him some therapy, he'd shoot first and complain to the head afterwards, and never ask why."

"Englund's influential, but he's one man", I say. "I feel, we could change the way the campus feels about you, Sara. Even if that leaves him unmoved."

Mai says, "I admit, we have not tried this. We have our own secrets and do not wish to make waves."

I nod. "Completely understandable. However, I can make as big waves as I like."

When we get to class, the only one I recognise is the squirrel-looking girl who's probably Aquerna. I wouldn't mind seeing if I can become her friend, as she's in the parkour group, and from what I remember reading, is nice.

We sit down, the teacher comes in. He looks like the bad guy off Kung Fu Hustle, if a bit better dressed. “Good day, class. Welcome to our ‘special topics’ class on the theory and practice of the escape. I’m Mister Robertson. Now I already looked at the class list. All of you have powers. Some of them are more suited to escape than others. We've got one teleporter, give the class a wave, miss Parallel", I wave getting various mildly curious looks, "And one tentacle user, miss Carmilla", everyone knows Sara, she gives a tentacle wave. I put my hand up. "Yes, miss Parallel?"

"Two as of this morning", I wave a tentacle. Which causes a certain amount of stir.

"Two, very well." And he goes on to talk about how only a few of us are strong, and anyhow, any power set can be negated. I agree with him there, it seems valid to plan for that, no matter how confident you are. Defence in depth, and so on. We'll train for being powerless first. Then he'll go through individual abilities with each of us. We'll start with the simple stuff first.

Some guy in the front wants his qualifications, he says nope to that, but he'll show us - seems I spoke too soon about the well dressed part, because he skins down to his tank top for the demo. Practical, yet grungy.

Whoa. Slipping out of handcuffs like that is a neat trick. I'm not sure how it worked. Slowly playing back the memory of what I saw, he had his arms flexed when he was being cuffed, interesting. I'll let Aquerna answer that though. Which is good because I get confirmation of the name, as she gives her power set. And an identity on a couple other kids, Skillset and Peccary, the latter having the poor judgment to try and tease in class, which gets him threatened with a rotisserie. She gets the answer right.

Other me is picking up the spoken forms of the languages as I reply with bad pronunciation and get corrected. This is going to be, for a brief while, embarrassing. But I should get better fast.

In escape class, we get treated to a comedy skit of "Poor me, I'm so locked up... oh hey watch me lock that guy to the rail and by the way I got out of the cuffs". It's pretty cool. This guy clearly knows his stuff, and I feel we're going to learn a lot. Even if he does need to wash. And cut his hair. And wash his clothes.

Okay, I can't really knock him for not styling his hair when the most I've done with mine since it suddenly grew (aside from showering it clean) is run fingers through it to make sure it hasn't knotted. I might need to pay more attention to that stuff. Even if as it seems, exemplar hair doesn't get knots from being slept on. I got into lazy habits last life, because I didn't like the body. This one, I like.

Unfortunately my chosen companions don't exactly have any useful suggestions. Sara's hair is as long as she wants it to be because her whole body is kind of a construct. Paige has to get hers done specially, because of the zaps and because of being a kitty. But Sara suggests talking to Fey about it after classes as she hangs out with the models, and they presumably have the best contacts. There's no stylist officially on campus, so it's either find a student who will do it for cash or practise (cash may technically be illegal), or take a ride into Dunwich. Which would mean waiting for Saturday, earliest. Well, unless I do the long range teleport a body thing. I'm not sure how that works with the rules. My guess is, it would be embarrassing to be caught and I can't imagine the head having much tolerance for "well *technically*..." Yeah, no. See the bear, walk away from the bear, do not poke the bear.

And speaking of bear-poking, I'm splitting for two classes next, code-breaking with Paige, and religion with Englund. That's going to be fun.


	16. Part 16

# # Part sixteen

****8th January, 2007, Whateley, end of fifth period****

As class breaks up, I head over to see if I can't catch Aquerna, who's talking to her friends. "Hi, got a moment?"

She looks a little confused. And possibly a little worried. Since the radio broadcast, I guess I count as one of the scary ones. Well, that and me popping out a tentacle just earlier. "Uh, sure, hi?"

"Nice answers in class", trying to put her at her ease. "Sorry, we don't know each other but I recognized you by description. You're in that parkour group, right? I was looking for contacts who might introduce me."

She glances over at Sara, who's giving us space. "Yes, I am, I could certainly tell Caitlin you're interested?"

I smile, "Thanks. That's very appreciated. Tell her to look up Parallel, that's my codename. Is it really true you can talk to squirrels?" I know it is, but I feel that's a good way to break the social ice a little.

She nods, clearly worried I'm setting her up for something, but I'm not. I say, "That's pretty awesome, they're very cute creatures. Although I think the ones around here are asleep now, aren't they? Perhaps you can introduce me to them when they wake up? If that isn't asking too much."

That gets her approval. "Oh really, you like them? They're family to me and I'd love to introduce you, but yes, they're all safe in nests until spring. But I can definitely do that when they're awake." Another, worried glance at Sara. "Um, this is not trying to be rude but just making sure, you don't eat squirrels, do you?"

I shake my head. "I don't. Regular people food for me. Don't think badly of Carmilla, though, she doesn't have a choice." Using Sara's codename because Aquerna probably doesn't know her real name.

She shudders at the idea of being forced to eat like Sara does. "Okay, I can see that would be a nightmare. I'm glad you don't have to. Okay, well, I can talk to Caitlin. Then she'll probably contact you. I should go now though, I've got a class."

I smile. "See you 'round." I have hopes for that friendship. And persuading her that Sara is nice. Okay, that might be a stretch.

Englund's "special topics in religion" class is in Kirby, which is probably a bad sign. Code breaking is in Schuster. Sara has a free period so she walks the two of us over there, while other me heads towards the mages' lair. Paige is excited, and chattering math to Sara. Me, I'm feeling subdued, but not for the obvious reason. Something is itching me, not physically, but mentally. Worse, despite my abilities at self analysis, I can't pinpoint the cause. It's like, something I need to do, or something I need to become, but I'm not ready yet. That's the most I can get. I want to set it aside, but it's insistent. In the end I just forcibly silence the alarm. If it becomes something I can act upon, I'll act.

This isn't my first time seeing Kirby Hall today, but the first time solo and not preoccupied. It looks kinda similar to Shakespeare's Globe theatre from the outside. I'm in good time for class, so I just find the room, pick a seat and wait. I've got nothing on this body I can't afford to lose if I have to bail. This lecture room is constructed as tiers of seats forming a half circle around a fairly wide floor, with blackboards, but interestingly the floor is also painted with chalkboard paint. So presumably he's going to be drawing circles during the course. And there's a desk, covered in a cloth, with something long and rectangular underneath. Like that's not ominous at all.

Over in Schuster, Paige and I hug Sara and then head into the rather unassuming, obviously mathematical classroom. It's filling up fast, I guess there's lots of hacker types who find this stuff interesting. We manage to grab a pair of seats side by side. The teacher is a guy with glasses and a slight beard, in a black shirt and jeans. "Good afternoon, class. I'm a visiting lecturer here, my name is Ron Bornstein, you can call me mister Bornstein or Ron. This class is "the mathematics of codebreaking". We will be covering both the way that ciphers are created, and the mathematical ways they are broken. However, I should caution you that there are many further aspects of breaking them that go beyond the mathematical, such as side channel attacks and weaknesses in protocol design. We will be touching lightly on these when we talk about the way that ciphers are constructed, but will not dive deeply into how they are used. I can recommend materials for further study of these topics in your own time."

He continues, "You have all passed the requirements of this class, except one who has asked for special consideration." He looks at me. "You know who you are. I will expect you to keep pace or I will fail you. We will be working mostly with mathematical abstractions in pseudocode, but I expect digital assignments to be written in modern, readable C. All assignments will be handed in electronically. Today, we will be looking at the ancient history of the wonderful world of hiding information in flight, and stealing it. Despite these historical techniques being hopelessly obsolete, they will introduce important foundational ideas. Now, first, can anyone tell me the difference between a code and a cipher?"

A few people put their hands up, including me, and he picks me. I'm guessing because he wants to see who this kid is who wants into an advanced class on the basis of book-reading. I say, "A code is like, banana means attack at dawn, it's not mathematical and you gain nothing by looking at it unless you have the code book. A cipher is a mathematical operation applied to input that produces output which can be reversed back to its input by a second mathematical operation. What makes it a cipher is that seeing the output doesn't tell you much about the input, unless you know how the operations are configured. This configuration constitutes the key. The output has mathematical structure that can be analysed."

He smiles and nods. "Good answer. Depending on the operation, you can have a different key at each end, or the same key at both. The key can be information in mathematical form, or it can be something cruder like the diameter of a stick. The important difference between the two is that a cipher, even a very crude one, can be understood mathematically. And broken, mathematically."

He goes to the board and writes in Arabic. "Abu Yūsuf Yaʻqūb ibn ʼIsḥāq aṣ-Ṣabbāḥ al-Kindī" He reads the name out. "This guy, who we can call Al-Kindi for the sake of you ignorant barbarians, was one of the pioneers of mathematics and helped introduce modern numerals. He was also one of the first people to write a book about breaking ciphers. Back in the day, they were already using ciphers, although they were the same kind of trivial stuff that comes as secret decoder rings in cereal packets. But if you aren't mathematical, like your buddy in primary school who you sent secret spy messages to, that's hard to break. The important fundamental technique he invented is nowadays called frequency analysis." And he writes on the board the letters ETAOIN SHRDLU.

A hush falls in the classroom in Kirby as the reverend walks in. After largely unnecessary introductions, he says "Today's class is special topics in religion, and the topic specifically is: demons, and how to banish them. You may be wondering why I concealed the topic. Partly, to avoid the wrong kind of riff-raff expressing an interest. You are here because you're interested in religion, not because you think that demons are cool. Partly also, because we have a self declared demon in the class, and I was curious to see how she would react, stand up please miss Parallel. A little bird tells me you gained the ability to make tentacles this morning?"

I stand up and smile, and give a tentacle wave to the class. Several gasps. "Yes, you're correct, I did. And how I shall react is that I find the subject interesting, and am looking forward to taking the class." I'm not lying. This could actually come in useful. My most dangerous enemies are what he would call demons.

He looks mildly surprised, perhaps he expected a rant he could give an instant F to. "Very well, you may sit down. This class will not involve any of you personally having any more contact than you ordinarily do with the demonic, but it will involve practical demonstrations in front of the class. If you feel that exposure to these is intolerable to you for any reason, mystical sensitivity, religious requirements, simple fear or otherwise you may leave now, or speak to me after class, and I will not fail you." A few people do.

After a pause, he continues. "Demon, is a very broad brush word. As a Christian, I have beliefs about demons, but mine is not the only religion that does. The first culture to write things down was Sumer, and they have stories of demons. We have records of the same from every literate culture since. Nearly all present day religions believe in them. A demon, broadly defined, is a mystical entity that is dangerous to humans, and callous or actively malicious in intent. The reason for this cultural commonality across centuries is that *demons are real*. I have met them, and I have fought them. Some of them just want to eat you, like a simple earthly predator. Some of them want to steal your body and walk around in it. Some work evil for the sake of evil in the crudest of ways. Some have deeper laid plans, and may seem affable on the surface. They are all the enemies of humankind."

I'm going to pick my time to counter calumny like that.

After a glance at me, he continues, "When you know what a demon is, you know its weaknesses. Banishing demons is the practical application of those weaknesses. Effects vary from keeping the demon away, to driving it out of the world and back to hell, to outright destroying it. Some weaknesses are more universal, others are specific to certain kinds of demons. Unfortunately, the universal weaknesses are either very weak, as for example salt in a protection circle, or very rare and nearly impossible to obtain, such as the mystical metal orichalcum."

He walks to the desk, and whips the cover off. There on the desk is a gold-gleaming beautifully curved short sword, sitting in a hardwood and silk presentation box. He actually brought the damn thing into class for show-and-tell. The reflected light from the blade seems to fill the room with sunny warmth. "Some of which I have here today. This metal is not a natural element. It requires an alchemical, religious process to create. I had to call in favours to obtain this example for class." Oh hey, an alibi, nice to have one of those.

He continues, "orichalcum captures the energetic brightness of the sun in concentrated physical form. Sunlight is a universal weakness of demons, but one that stronger ones can shrug off. As orichalcum, this is no longer the case."

"Miss Parallel, could you please come down here for a demonstration?"


	17. Part 17

# # Part seventeen

****8th January, 2007, Kirby Hall, sixth period****

I run up my time-base a little so I can consider my response. Everything in the class goes into slow motion, Englund's voice, finishing his sentence, drops to a bass whale-song rumble.

Is he going to run me through like a shish kebab in front of a class full of witnesses? No, he's not an idiot. And I could afford to spot him the body anyway. Killing this one me wouldn't do anything other than be briefly unpleasant, and he probably knows that. If they couldn't charge murder, exactly, they'd charge him with something. Mopery and dopery. Waving around a pointy object without due care and attention. He'd certainly lose his job. Which he doesn't want. Just the fact that he's teaching this class implies an intent to stick around.

I think what makes sense is that he'll tell me to touch it. If I refuse, I get called a coward and sent back to my seat, and marked down for being uncooperative, if I accept, I get a burn and my suffering is his example of a fallible demon. I get literally branded as evil, and everyone sees me lose. Nice bit of dark side psychology there for a nominal man of the cloth.

But I think I have something else I can do with this, that messes up his cunning plan and advances mine. It's bending my usual rule against being callous with my body, but I'm face to face with an enemy, circumstances call for leeway.

Time-base back to normal, and I stand and make my way down. There are several gasps and someone calls out "hey, that's unfair". I look to note who that is, and give them a smile. The rev just stands there, waiting, with a grim look. Mister witchfinder general. As I get close, I say, quiet enough only he can hear, "Bold of you to bring an attempted murder weapon to class".

He replies, as quietly, "Bold of you to take my class." And then back at normal volume, "Alright, miss Parallel, please touch the sword, so we can all see how it affects demons." Yeah, I called it.

What he doesn't know is that for me, pain is optional. And I'm not sure if orichalcum will harm me anyway, I'm still physically human. Still, I turn off all pain sensation, best to not take the risk.

He's probably expecting me to prod it with a fingertip or something. But instead I grab a grasp of the handle - okay, this is doing damage, that's unexpected, but not so fast it will ruin my plan - and lift it overhead, fist smoking, the room filling with burned meat smell. "I swear on this sword, that there are at least some demons who are genuinely good, and who do not wish harm to humanity but only to protect and nurture it, and me and Carmilla are two of them!" Sufficiently epic, and I put it quickly back in its box before the burn compromises any ligaments and spoils the effect by making me fumble. I show the class my crispy-crittered hand, opening it takes effort and splits the skin. And they can watch as my entirely human mutant regeneration fills in the wound in a matter of seconds, ash and scraps of burned skin flaking off onto the floor. Try and brand me will you?

Back to the seat I walk, to a certain amount of applause. He looks stunned. Yeah, that didn't exactly go to plan, for him.

Still, it's an interesting question why it harmed me. I'm not a projection from outside, in the way Sara is. Something GOO-ish is up, and perhaps it's connected to my silenced alarm.

Over in Gothmog's hacienda, where I've been reading about the history of the Sundering, I ask him what he thinks it is. He rubs his chin and asks if he can check telepathically, of course I say yes. Then he says, "Well, this is unfortunately a guess because I've never been in this exact situation before, but I'd lay good odds that you're starting to hatch. The equivalent point for my daughter was when she died and was returned to life in the morgue."

Okay that's slightly terrifying, but I did sign up for this ride. "So what should I do?"

"Wait until you can clear your schedule for at least an hour or two, then un-silence the alarm. Then do what you feel. I admit I'm groping in the dark here, but I believe your nature will lead your actions. It did for Sara. You will just have to step out of the way."

I nod. "It feels like there's something I need to define, or I need to define myself. Like they're the same thing."

He says, "You know that each of us has a nature, like my domain is lust and perversion, tempered with love. Perhaps that's what you're being asked to identify. Not so much choose, it should already be who you are, but put a finger on and name. How about you go out in the garden and meditate on that?"

I nod. "Will do, grandpa. Thanks." And give him a hug. And if I hang on a little too long because I'm scared, I'm sure he doesn't mind.

In codebreaking class, we've covered the basic kinds of ancient world ciphers, transposition and substitution. We've seen how the letter frequency can reveal a lot about either of them. Simple transposition leaves the frequencies unchanged from the base language. Simple substitution can be mapped onto the base frequencies and you get a lot of the key that way, then you can guess the rest. Up until the second world war, codes used even at the highest levels of government were variations which cleverly changed the substitutions by electro-mechanical means. We've talked about the enigma machines, and the bombe machines used to break the order and setting of rotors and plug-board. And now we're looking at what Mr Bornstein calls the first modern cipher, the German Lorenz cipher, that was responsible for the creation of the first ever programmable computer to break it. Rather than being some mechanically synchronized switch-around of substitution, this was a one-time pad generator that was combined with the text using modulo two add-without-carry, or XOR. The original idea in the 1920s was to distribute one-time pads manually, but of course that requires a lot of very secure shipping. So the Germans had the bright idea of producing the pad by a mechanical pseudo-random function. It's all fascinating and I can let go of my worries a bit by just basking in the fun of learning.

Englund has recovered a bit, and continued listing off the simple shared weaknesses of all demon-kind. They might not save you from the bad ones, but they're better than nothing and will definitely stop the weaker ones. Salt, sunlight, running water, sincere prayer and religious symbols, he talks about "the pagan practise of sage smudging", gah, and how "moral probity" helps (in my opinion, self-righteousness does not), and how fire can generally destroy the weaker kinds of taint in a place or an object - or a person, he doesn't say, but I bet he's thinking it. Of course at the cost of destroying the place, object or person too. But fire can also be lit to guard a place, and some critters won't pass it. And various cultures have blessing ceremonies and seasonal rituals to make a place less hospitable to weak demons, he talks about Japanese setsubun and bean-scattering, and the call of "demons out! luck in!" I think, although you'd never catch him saying it, he sees it as a flaw in mainstream Christianity that it hasn't adopted such a ceremony of its own.

Time's up and the classes all end. A few people approach Englund after class, I'm not sure whether about dropping, or in support or opposition to what he tried with me. Myself, I just make my way out, find a discrete spot and vanish the body. I think I'll call that one a win. And crypto class is pure fascinating wonder, I can see Paige was captivated too. Definitely a favourite. Languages, I'm already doing better in. I'll see whether I can test out and drop those soon, but I feel I need more polishing. Those bodies can go too, I'll keep the one with Paige.

There's a two hour gap before dinner, but it's not really free, it's for stuff like jobs and detention. I've promised Jade I'll come along after classes to meet Stan and Morrie. She said to meet by the library, so I hug Paige and point myself in that direction. Jade's there under a street light, waving, so I trot over. "Hey there, where are we headed?"

"Headed down", she says with a grin. "Is it really true you made an oath on a sword with your hand on fire, that you and Sara were good?"

Oh hey, the rumour mill's running fast today. I nod, "Englund wanted me to burn my hand on the thing, but I saw the chance to show off and turn his game against him."

Jade smirks. "Nicely epic. Definitely some good press for you. And you may take the title of craziest kid off me yet." We're walking around to the side of the library, where a set of steps lead down to a metal door, lit by a bare bulb in a cage.

"Doubt it", I say. "I still haven't nailed anyone to a tree."

"Oh pooh, I only did that once", Jade unlocks the door with a key of her own, "He had it coming too."

"Not disputing that", I agree, as we step into a small room, with two adult men in there, large rounded guy who I guess from my reading is Morrie, short thinner guy who is probably Stan. Some shaking of hands and introductions follow.

On Gothmog's lawn, I'm sat in lotus on the grass. Warm sun shines on me, unearthly critters buzz from flower to flower, and in the trees, colourful birds call. I focus on the question, what is it that I am? It's not the only thing I am, like Sara is much more than her domain of lust, but it should be the underlying melody that shapes the song. I took to life sorcery so smoothly that it feels life as a theme should have something to do with it, and of course that's in my lineage too. I don't feel it's lust, I've got plenty of that to be sure, but it isn't the dominant tone. I haven't even got around to trying my multiple bodies on myself yet, and I feel sure Sara would have. (Definitely save that thought though.) Life... what do I associate with life? Well, I've read "grandma's book" and although I was a natural at it, it was a strain because of how impersonal it all was. I think for a regular human, that alone would have been enough to do them harm. The fundamental power of creation doesn't care if life suffers. Routinely creates life that causes enormous suffering, in fact, like parasitic wasps. It's all just a process to her, the weave matters and the threads do not. I feel that shouldn't be the only perspective, but the forms of the definitional alphabet of the universe, which humans call R'Lyehian, have no way to describe things like love, caring, grace, beauty, except as side effects of life processes. There's a gap.

And a memory surfaces of a book I read in childhood, and the phrase, "don't be afraid to make corrections" spoken by a certain macaw. Oho. Could I? If I define myself as something that doesn't, can't exist in this universe, and rewrite everything that way, can I change the underlying rules of reality? I suppose I am a power that way, now. But then, it doesn't exactly feel like a change. It's who I am. I've found the answer. Now the itch is that much worse, but I think I can hold it just a little while longer.

Stan and Morrie find my tentacles likely to be useful, multiple bodies and ability to shut down my sense of disgust at smells quite nifty. I can get as stinky as I please, and just vanish the body. Bonus, nothing can infect me, and I'd heal any accidental injury. Flight means that I don't have to worry about falling, even if I am pretty awful at it still. I can lift the weight of a small car - I haven't tried with tentacles, but I assume it's the same. That's small potatoes for Whateley, but it helps toting around pipes and whatnot. I'm not quite the bonanza that the J-team is, but I am probably a tolerable understudy, if I can hack it, is the consensus. Time for a trial run. And presumably hazing the newbie. Just to be sure, I throw a backup body down a teleport into my room at Poe. Okay, lead on.

I can tolerate the itch for awhile, and set it far enough out of attention it won't distract me while I work, but I think I'm going to have to do something about it at dinnertime.


	18. Part 18

# # Part eighteen

****8th January, 2007, Gothmog's realm****

I explain my idea to Gothmog and it makes him grin. "That's a tension that both my daughter and I have been up against. We had our natures defined for us, but chose to bend them to become something better and more humane. That puts us in opposition to the universe, somewhat. But I suspect, if you can do what you plan, it will become part of our natures too, and relieve the opposition. Where that leads, well, we're breaking new ground so I can't speculate. But I like it." I think I can see a bit of worry in his face, too. Probably he's mentally adding, if you don't splatter against reality like a bug meeting a car. Well, I don't think the outcome can be altered now, because I can feel the force of my formed, ready to burst forth nature pressing against me. And this is worth risking myself to do.

****8th January, 2007, Whateley sewers, after classes****

If I hadn't turned off my ability to feel grossed out, I would definitely be feeling grossed out right now. The sewer I'm scrubbing stinks like Satan's own ass, not that I am able to experience that as a negative at the moment, and my life sense flags up every possible surface, and the air, as crawling with microorganisms. I have background processes running to scrub lung infections as they ignite. It's a constant pop-pop-pop of life sorcery. Goodness knows how Jade avoids coming down with three kinds of lurgy a week. Still, as I am now, it's easy enough work. I think I may have impressed the duo who are watching me from a safe vantage. I'm careful and conscientious about it, and I don't get bored or become inattentive. The fact that most of my minds are turned elsewhere is neither here nor there, to them.

Soon enough I'm finished with the section, and I signal my readiness to come out, then shake off most of the gunk by getting out with a teleport - although, there's enough wedged in small places that I haven't time to detail-describe, that I still smell pretty ripe. "There we go, done."

"Not too bad", Morrie says. "That turning off the smell thing probably helped you a lot."

"Nah, I can still smell, just can't feel bad about how much I stink", I say. "Definitely going to trash the body, it's either that or run the showers cold. So what's next?"

"Next is knocking off. You're done, congratulations. But we're only offering one salary even if there's lots of you." Morrie smirks. Jade looks a bit worried.

"I'm not going to undermine Jade's arrangement", I say. "One, if I'm doing one job. And that includes many hands making light work of it. But if I end up doing independent jobs at the same time, each group of me gets paid for that time."

Morrie frowns at that. But I think he sees that I've given him enough leeway I'll mostly be picking up one salary. And paying me double or triple and getting completely independent jobs done would be worth it. "I'll run it by admin. They might or might not go for it, but I'm good, and I'll advise them to say yes."

Jade grabs me into a hug, "Yay, welcome to the team!" and everyone laughs a bit. I hug her back and say "You're my senpai now, big sis", which cracks everyone up.

It doesn't take me long to strip down and get out of the stinky overalls and wader boots. Those go in the to-wash bin, and then I warn everyone not to be alarmed, and vanish the body and the clothes I was wearing, not bothering to re-dress.

Me in Poe comes out of parked mode in a dark room, and I switch on the room light, and head out down the tunnel towards food. I figure I'll eat, then loose the itch and start doing whatever hatching involves. Over with the weres, I'm asking if they have a large clear area of ground nearby. They do. In Gothmog's realm, I'll use the big lawn out front. And here, I think I can use the area to the south-east of Poe. That's probably grass, but it's just snow-covered now. As I walk through the tunnel, I fill Sara in on my plans using the mark. She understands and sends me love and support. I can feel we're both a bit afraid, but it's obvious there's no stopping the process now.

I wait in the lunch line, only one of me now, because I don't feel up to the distraction of having several. I've told Sara I'm headed for the Kimba table, because I want to try and fill them in. She'll explain at the Pack table. Ayla's ahead of me and amusingly getting mobbed by kids admiring Jade's prank shoulder angels. He gets his special stuff from the chefs and heads to the table, I get to pick from the ordinary food, but to me right now, it's calories and it's fine. Soon I'm over at the table too, although I miss Ayla as he does the dropping through the floor thing. Leaving two angels stuck on a blazer, and much amusement.

I wait for a lull in the conversation, then say, "I gotta warn you all now, as soon as I'm done eating this stuff, I'm going to go do a big thing. Not sure exactly what that involves, but Fey, Chaka, you're likely to feel it, Chou, you too. If you wanna come watch, stick with me when I leave. And, um, I'm not one hundred percent sure I'll survive it. Or be the same me. But it's not something I have a choice about."

Okay, that definitely earned me some worried looks and questions. What is it? The best I can answer is "hatching, but I'm not sure how". Should I warn the staff? Seems like a bad idea, they'd likely try to stop me, and it's as unstoppable now as a sneeze that has begun. Is there anything they can do? Only watch, and stop anything I might accidentally unleash from causing harm. Why are my eyes pink?

Huh, they are? Well, I make a second me to look at myself, and they're cherry-blossom pink with a faint glow. Vanish that second me. Well that's odd. "I have no idea", I say.

Chou says, "It's who you will be, potentially, reflected back in time. What you are attempting will right a wrong in the great balance, should you succeed. I will not intervene to stop it." Her handmaid-nature come to the forefront, I guess I should have anticipated that.

I say, "Can you contain any possible negative results?"

"Aunghadhail and I working together, yes." Which, translation for the not magically inclined, is a terrifying accumulation of power, the handmaid of the Tao, and an ancient legendary queen wielding the power of the strongest natural mage on Earth, and they have to work together... A few of the other Kimbas get it. Toni makes a hiss sound through her teeth. Hank looks worried. That was rather like indicating I might be about to set off a nuke. Worse than a nuke. Either of the two could probably handle one of *those* solo.

Okay, I'm finished eating, and it's time. The group of us head out, Sara and her pack join us as we're leaving, Sara and Paige give me a hug as I walk in the middle between them. Everyone's quiet, it feels like the world's holding its breath. We reach the ground I'm going to use, and I tell them not to come closer than that. Aunghadhail takes over Fey, she stands up straighter. And says, "luck, lass. We're ready."

And I walk out into the center of the ground I've chosen.

And I walk out into the center of the weres' clearing.

And I walk out into the center of Gothmog's lawn.

And we loose the block, and we begin to move. I'm reminded of Clarke's "Childhood's End", we're not separate, we're moving as one. Dancing. Splitting into a scatter of bodies whose movements trace a pattern that doesn't exist yet but will. Some of us bring out bone flutes, and we're improvising a song, which follows the same pattern, although we try to shape it into something tolerable to the human ear, it probably sounds like jazz. Our hair is growing out longer, and blowing in a wind that isn't a wind as we whirl and cross. The snow is lit brightly by the glow of our eyes. And all of us are holding that one idea, that one thing that doesn't exist, which is our nature, focused upon it.

Life, but with the possibility of love, of grace, of wonder. Not as an accidental side effect, but as a fundamental.

I can feel my self expanding, parallels upon parallels coming active, there are hundreds of millions of me, billions, all with absolute focus, we push, we see from outside, something gives and shifts, we grasp reality and make the change, from the first thing to the end of days, eternity.

Make it so.

S H O C K W A V E

Needless parallels releasing, back to millions, thousands, extra bodies gone, there's three of us, and a rune carved in the snow by our dance that never before existed, and all around a hundred million green plants are bursting up through the thick winter snow and opening lightly glowing cherry blossom pink petals.

And all three of me collapse in utter exhaustion.

****9th January, 2007, Doyle medical center, morning****

Eyes open, am I me? Yes, I am me. And my abilities seem operational. But that was the longest time I've spent with no part of me conscious in a while. I sit up in bed, which is surprisingly hard. The me in Gothmog's house and the me with the weres can stay resting for a bit. The sun's up. I push the nurse button. Heh, familiar.

"Good morning", it's the guy nurse from when I was first here. "How are you feeling?"

"Hungry", I say. "A bit exhausted. But otherwise okay. Let me guess, there's a delegation outside wanting to tear me a new one?"

"And they'll stay outside until I'm convinced you're as fine as you say", he says, and brings out the blood pressure test thingy. It seems I'm normal on that. While we're doing that I make a second me to look at myself. He jumps a bit, both of me apologize, then giggle as that seems to mess with him a bit too. "Sorry, I didn't have that power last time I was here."

Looking at myself, I think I lost weight, I look like I could use several meals. My hair is now down to my ass, which is a nuisance and I'm going to get it cut as soon as I can, because that length would be way too much work. And my eyes are pink, with a very visible glow. Still outwardly human, otherwise. I vanish the spare. "Can I have breakfast? And then I'll meet the delegation of doom." Oh hey, I think I can extend my life sense down individual hairs now, hmm. "And can you bring a dustpan? Only I need to get rid of most of this hair."

"I don't exactly have a hairdressing kit" he says.

"Won't need it."

"Fair enough. I'll be back in five."

I find I can remember my old body's form, down to the cellular level. Which is new, I could go into that detail before, but only piecewise. Means I can probably come back from no bodies, now. Also means I can get my old haircut back.

He comes back, with a mound of scrambled eggs and toast, which will do nicely. A few contented minutes later, I thank him for the meal, stand up and move over a clear bit of floor, and send my attention down a hundred thousand individual hairs, stopping at the point where they were yesterday, and instructing the proteins to separate. Attention back in the room, and a cloud of hair floats down. To the nurse's evident surprise.

He hands me the dustpan, and I get to sweeping. In retrospect, I probably could have vanished it, but I think it might be useful to make things out of. He lets me have a zip seal bag to put it in, and gives me my uniform to put back on instead of the hospital gown.

Finally, it's time. In comes Carson, with somebody else I don't recognise. An older woman, with Greek looks, dark curly hair.

"Good morning. This is Circe, head of the mystical arts department. Circe, meet miss Parallel. Now, young lady, would you please give me one reason I shouldn't expel you on the spot?"


	19. Part 19

# # Part nineteen

****9th January, 2007, Doyle medical center, morning****

"Good morning, Mrs Carson, Circe, ma'am. I have two answers for that. One is that I have fixed, or at least substantially improved, the whole universe. And the second is that I had little choice in the matter. I could probably have directed it to a more conventional path, and lost the opportunity for change. But the opportunity to do real lasting good came up, and I grasped it."

Mrs Carson says, "And you asked nobody, consulted nobody?"

"To ask your permission would have made you responsible", I say. "You wouldn't have wanted the responsibility for changing the whole universe. You'd have kicked it upstream, where it would have been talked to death over centuries, if it were possible for me to hang on to my hatching that long, which it wasn't. I took personal responsibility in the moment of possibility and acted alone."

Circe asks, "Are you aware what you've done? Thousands of spells will have to be redrafted. Many established ones just shattered and can't be re-cast. Nothing about what you've done is known. Nothing about how it will affect the entire world, is known. The new rune you created doesn't even have a pronunciation yet. And we had to scrub it off the grounds where you drew it, because even if it's very benevolent as they go, we don't dare expose students to it."

"Be fair, Circe, it's the most excitement you've had in centuries", Mrs Carson points out, which gets a grumpy frown in acknowledgement. "Miss Parallel, I'm informed that the flower you created across the campus is safe, nutritious and even tasty in salad by the staff who've analysed it. It's slightly related to the pea family. The petal glow is a form of luciferin bioluminescence that has links to jellyfish genetics. It seems to tolerate temperatures down to the freezing point of carbon dioxide, a very hardy extremophile. Did you make it for any particular reason?"

I shake my head. "I didn't even volitionally make it. The splash-over from me inserting the new rune did that. You'll probably find it's alchemically saturated with the thing. And since that shockwave touched everywhere in the universe, you'll probably find other stuff springing up. Here and elsewhere. And life itself, shifting track just ever so slightly. I didn't take over from the primary power of creation, so her rules still go, but I made a new corollary, a sub clause. All life will start to reflect it, but I think slowly."

"And you did this because?"

"All the good values, love, happiness, kindness, beauty, things that make life worthwhile, were things that kind of didn't have a reflection in the fundamentals of the universe. And so they were necessarily temporary, fragile, a small target that you had to keep hitting just to stay where you already were. And forces that hate humanity, already have their thumb on the other side of the scales, making this world drift towards darkness. So I found a way to change that. Put the scales back in balance. Make goodness into something that life converges on, rather than visits by accident and inevitably falls back out of."

Circe says, "To do this, you risked rewriting the universe, that could have just destroyed all life and all value?"

"No gain without risk. And I do know what I was editing. I felt it would work. And that moment, when I was hatching, was my last chance to make it work for quite some time. Millions of years, perhaps. I'll eventually become a power that can just do that kind of change on a whim, I think. But not any time humans would call 'soon'."

"Yes, please hold back from any further tinkering of that nature, you succeeded this time, it seems, but I'd rather not risk it twice", Mrs Carson agrees. She looks thoughtful. "Inside the school, I can't see any way to hide who did it. The connection with you is too obvious, even if I tell everyone involved to keep it quiet. Which means that it will spread outside the school quickly, via the various spies and paid informants. You have made a name for yourself in high places, young lady. You're a player in the Great Game, now, uncomfortable as that may become. The neutrality here will protect you while you remain here, but I suggest you consider your future affiliations carefully."

Circe says, incredulous, "And that's it, you're just going to let her off?"

"Oh no", Mrs Carson says. She has detention. With you, helping to undo her mess. You may decide when she's had enough of it." And to me, "I'll inform Stan and Morrie, they will be happy to see you after dinner instead, young lady." Well, rats. Ah well, I couldn't expect I'd get away with it scot free. Circe smirks. I don't imagine that's going to be gentle work.

Mrs Carson says, "Alright, young lady, you have missed the start of lessons today, and you have a couple of hours until lunch, which I expect you to spend quietly recovering. Then if you feel fit, you can resume the school day at fourth period"

I nod, "Yes, ma'am."

****9th January, 2007, morning, Medawihla reservation****

"Are you sure you won't have breakfast?", Eli says. I'm up, and sitting at the table, being horribly tempted by some of the best fried eggs and bacon I've ever known. A bunch of what they're calling snow-flowers sits glowing faintly pink in a vase on the tabletop.

My stomach rumbles, but I ignore it and shake my head. "Lovely as it would be, it seems a waste to put good food in a body I'm about to vanish. Believe me, I'm going to feed the other one 'till I pop."

She sighs, and nods, it's pragmatic and the weres respect pragmatism. "Alright, well, I'll be sad to see you go, you've become one of the family around here."

"I'll miss all of you too, but I'm still over in Whateley just a hop and a skip away, and I'll visit", I say.

Ben says, "You mind yourself. You've become scary hard to kill, now, girl. That's going to make a bunch of powerful people worried. And things that ain't people. They're liable to try stuff, and soon, try and catch you off balance."

I nod. "Yeah, I'm only going to get stronger, so they'll hit me now if they have any sense. That's part of why I'm leaving here. I don't want to draw the danger to you."

Eli says, "We can handle ourselves in a fight, but it's best not to need to. I think that's a wise decision, much as I'll miss having you around. I'll actually have to do chores myself again now, I'm not sure I remember how"

"It'll be good for you", I tease, which makes her grin.

I run around giving everyone in the family hugs, even Caleb (who has forgiven me for his knee), and then wave and vanish the body.

****9th January, 2007, morning, Gothmog's realm****

I open my eyes, sit up in bed, of course my hair's down to my behind here too. I consider snipping it, but maybe Gothmog knows a stylist? Meanwhile I'll set it hydrophobic so the en-suite shower doesn't make it unmanageably wet. I seem to have really detailed control over my own body now, I suppose that gives me a shifter rating. Probably only a middling one, as I can't safely force things along faster than biological processes would allow. But I bet I could turn a body into a tree, or a deer, if I was a bit careful about how to preserve things through the transition. I have no idea what that would feel like. Hmm, and I suppose, once I've become a thing, I could make new bodies as that thing instantaneously. I could probably copy a person, too, but I'd need time enough to read their whole body at a cellular level. Just copying their DNA from a sample would be almost trivial. Yeah, gonna keep that one quiet, undetectable cloning is not a thing I want the government to know I can do. I could do without them launching ICBMs at me.

I think, at this point, my best strategy is just to move up into the category of "even the government doesn't want to mess with her" as quietly and quickly as possible.

Shower done, hair back to normal, I pad naked out into my room to pick clothes - oh hey, Gothmog and Petra are here. "Hi, noticed I was up?"

Petra turns beet red, which is charming. Gothmog grins, "Of course. How are you feeling?"

I stretch, yes I am showing off like a shameless hussy, and say "Good, but very hungry. And in need of a hair stylist."

"And clothes", Petra says.

"If I must", I tease, and go looking through the cute dresses in the wardrobe, a certain amount of reaching and showing off my ass is involved, and I pick something silky, because the near-alive fabric feels good to my life sense as well as my skin. "I haven't peeked outside yet, I hope I didn't wreak too much havoc?"

Gothmog shakes his head. "The change you made fitted nicely into my own nature, and I can feel that I've received a power boost from it. I expect my daughter did too. Since this place is built by my power, you reinforced it. There's a few new species in the ecosystem, you seem to have a fondness for bioluminescence and the colour pink."

"Comes from a movie that's two and a bit years into the future, probably, on this timeline. It's full of lots of beautiful bioluminescent plants and animals. I might have accidentally pushed some of that into the spill-over."

"I rather approve", he says, as we make our way down into the dining hall, which is set with an enormous and varied breakfast.

****9th January, 2007, Whateley, mid-morning****

It's quiet, as I walk back towards Poe. People are mostly in class, and second period won't break up for a bit. I can see what the head meant about the uselessness of hiding things - the snow is liberally dotted with pretty pink flowers, thriving despite the bitter cold, glowing gently. They have pushed up through grass, in flower beds, and they've set a few paving slabs at funny angles. I can see groundskeepers busily re-laying those, and I'm going to have some apologising to do. Actually, I'm curious how much apologising I owe. Getting in to Poe, I find my laptop in my room, and go online.

The BBC News headline sets the tone. "Pink flowers in the permafrost, blue-lit butterflies in Brazil, shining surf off Southend, what on Earth happened?" and below that, "British mages' council meets in emergency session". Well if I had any hope of a quiet life, so much for that. That said, I suppose there's an upside. Without an epicentre globally, there's no mile-high neon arrow pointing at Whateley.

Checking my emails, I have a powers re-test scheduled today in fifth period, that shouldn't be a problem although I am going to have to decide how much to reveal. There are various get-wells and good wishes from the Kimbas and Pack and a few others. Emergency extra shrink appointment in fourth period, right after lunch. And, weirdly enough, a few emails from Whateley students offering to worship me. Eh-oh. Yes, I clearly made an impression. I had better coordinate with Sara and Gothmog on that.

Speaking of which... I nudge herself down the mark. "Hey there, sorry it took me a while to check in, I think I'm still a bit shocky. Busy?"

"Nah, free period, I'm in my room."

Jumping right in might be rude, but I set coordinates for outside the door and teleport. The door sign says "congratulations", heh. I knock, peek in, she's on her computer at her desk. I come over and give her a hug from behind, watching her play some MMO. "Hey you, love you. I only missed an evening but it feels like I haven't seen you in far too long."

She leans back against me. "Hey there, just let me tie this up and I'll come and give you a proper hug."

I look at the screen, she's playing a demonic looking character. Oh, right, "Marala, hmm?"

"You read about her, hmm?" She chuckles. "Yeah. Just having some fun with a band of adventurers that thinks I'm a low level mage."

"More fool them", I say. "You're gonna harsh my oath, going about things that way", I'm teasing and she knows it.

"Yeah, heard about that. Nice bit of redirecting the crowd's sympathies. We'd have talked last night, except you were too antsy to think straight. You know, I think that sword might be enough of an artefact that it actually stands guarantor of your oath?"

"Explains Englund doing the beached fish face", I say. "Well, I was telling the truth. And I was right about you too, whether or not you play around being evil in a game."


	20. Part 20

# # Part twenty

****9th January, 2007, the Lovecraft room, mid-morning****

Sara finishes putting Marala somewhere safe, and logs off, closing the laptop. "There, done. I love that you can see me that way, like, there's a fire in you that says, Sara is good, why can't everyone see it. Trouble is, often enough I can't see it myself." She stands up, pulls me into a hug and rests her head on me.

I stroke her hair softly and say, "You play that character to test yourself, don't you? Let the darkness off the leash a little, feel what it would be like to be bad, so you have a point of comparison. And to play at temptation and resistance. Where the one you're really tempting is yourself."

"Mm, armchair psychologist", she teases. "Maybe."

"Hey, I had a thought about a thing", I say, as I kind of shuffle our ongoing hug towards the bed where we can get some really good snuggling. "I figured a way to protect Jamie."

"Difficult, when we don't know what finally gets him", Sara agrees as we flop onto the bed. "She's not really built robust, unless she's hosting a spirit that is. And that has its own downsides."

I kiss her for being so wonderful and caring. "So I figured, we might take a leaf out of my book, and one out of Petra's, and make him a spare body. I think I could make one of myself into a genetic, cell for cell clone, if I have enough time. Like a month or so. And then when trouble happens, we just yoink her soul across, and I vacate."

"Could work. Except I'm not sure how easy it would be to vacate a body", Sara agrees. "You might end up head-mates."

"That would be a problem we'd have plenty of time to fix, though", I say.

"If being in a head with you won't bend her out of shape. You aren't really human-shaped in there any more, love."

"Fair point", I concede. "Still, it's worth a try. Some lifeboat beats no lifeboat. Although I find myself constantly tempted to pinch the whole thing in the bud. Those two idiots."

"I've been taking a hand in their dreams, trying to nudge them out of their bad ways", Sara agrees, "But sometimes I feel the same way, like a couple of disappearances wouldn't be missed. They would, though. Carson knows. Security has their eye on both of them. Mostly to catch them at it, but it removes the option of dropping them in a hole and filling it back in. Until they do something, they're still just students, and the school protects them."

"Still leaves the problem of how the hell you end up trapped", I say. "I know Nimbus has a hand in it, but... you aren't weak enough you couldn't batter your way out of some mage's spell."

"They've probably got my true name, somehow." Sara says. "Give the patsy a spell with that woven in, and I'd be bound to it. Couldn't even bargain, I'd just be at their command."

"Stupid universe needs a password reset option", I say, which makes her chuckle and kiss me. Mmm, nice kiss. An idea occurs. "You're not gonna like this, but..."

"You have an idea, and it involves me telling you my true name."

I nod. "If I've summoned you first, they get a busy signal."

"Let me think about it, love. You know how terrifying it would be."

"Yeah. I probably have one, too, now. Same thing could happen to me." I snuggle against her. "Phenomenal cosmic powers..."

She finishes the couplet, "Itty bitty living space", and we both laugh.

And then my stomach gurgles, making us giggle again. I say, "So where I can get second-breakfast out of hours in this penny-ante joint?"

Turns out Crystal Hall delivers "energizer packages" for just this situation, Sara knows how because Paige sometimes needs one. It's kinda crude calories, but there's a lot of kids who need that just to refuel when they've been running their motors. Including, evidently, me. One delivery by short range warper later, and I've got a grease-burger and several packets of fries. Yum! Okay, I should sit up and not mar the lovely silk sheets.

Perhaps prompted by the thought of food, Sara says, "You missed this sleeping through breakfast, but I'd thought you'd like to see", and tentacles curl up from her shoulders to form an angel that looks like a mini-her with a halo slightly askew on a stick, and on the other side a swirly-changing protean blob of a devil. "None of them liked it, frustratingly."

The blob peeks at me with several eyes, forms a mouth and somehow manages to say "tekeli-li!" in a way that carries the feeling "buncha no-taste assholes". The angel on the other side says, "Now don't be rude! I'm sure they have very reasonable reasons... somewhere."

I practically fall off the bed from giggling. "Those are so cute. A microshoggoth! I'm in love. And they are entirely silly to not be in love too. So the angels thing is still taking off then?"

She nods. "Even the birth of a new goddess isn't enough to turn that lot away from their love of pranks." (Her shoulder angel comments, "I think it's rather immature", which is met from the other side by a comment of "raargh" and tentacle waving.) And Sara adds, "I can't really complain when I'm having the same kind of fun myself, even if I am going to have to tone down the devil."

I tentatively pet the microshoggoth, which makes a burbling purr and forms mouths to lightly nip at my finger and tentacles to grasp at it. Aww, yes you may play-bite my finger, you little cutie. I know it's just Sara shapeshifting herself but it's so sweet. "Yeah on that note, I already got a few wanting to do the goddess thing, they mailed me. Can I just redirect them to your religion?"

Laughing, she shakes her head. "Well, to start with, I suppose, but they're your followers, not mine. You should take responsibility for them. But I can ask mine to set up side-shrines and stuff."

"Thanks. I don't even have a proper demon name yet, like, you have Kellith, what's mine?" I say. "Do I have to do a quest for it?"

Sara sighs, "Well, I hadn't really got around to explaining this, but I guess now's the time. The humans might call you a demon but it's because they're lazy on terminology. What you are is a great old one. Daddy and I are unusual, we're both at the same time. It was his idea, and it actually limits us, but it's kind of a way to tie us into the universe, help us feel connected here. Demons are a this-universe thing. Emotions, urges, floating around, gaining power and sentience. We, great old ones, are not. You're this-universe because of your humanity. But your spooky side is reaching out into spaces that precede and barely relate to this universe. Means you've got more raw power at your fingertips than me, in theory, you aren't limited. But also means you don't have a demon name. You're Jules, and Parallel. If you want another name, you're gonna have to make it yourself."

I sigh, because honestly that feels bad, I thought we were more alike that way. I did so want to be. "Rats, I perjured myself with the sword."

Sara shakes her head. "I figure, to whatever extent it guards oaths, it knew you were using the word the human way, and being honest." And hugs me, even despite I'm all greasy with burger juice, and sniffly. "Aww, thank you love, seeing you feel that way means a lot, you know?"

I'm not crying, you're crying. Okay, that's a lie, I'm crying. "Stupid people didn't even see you were showing them a bit of your heart with the shoulder angels thing. And now you have to hide it, it's not fair." I don't know why that's hitting me so hard. Except that it feels like, nobody is reaching out to Sara.

Sara rests her head against me. "You saw it. Hippy did, Paige did. Don't need them to."

"Don't need, no. But it would be nice to have them see you and not some damn projection."

She just kisses me as an answer.

****9th January, 2007, Gothmog's realm, almost lunchtime****

While I've been chatting with Sara over there, I've been getting a haircut over here. Turns out, Gothmog can cut hair (and he's mmm nice with finger scritches on my scalp too). I guess, if you're an immortal demon, you pick up skills. I've been tracking the snips with life-sense so I can replicate the finished result over in Whateley when I've got a few minutes spare. I had to explain why I suddenly got all weepy in the middle. But he understands.

I say, "I just remembered what I was planning to do when I got here, feels like ages ago now. Moving the mark. I want to do that more than ever, now. I really want to show off that I love Sara. It's not like I've got any reason to hide any more."

"Mhm, indeed", he says, snip snip go the scissors. "I think at this point, the reverend will have given up his plan to adopt you as a lost cause. He might still harbour intent to break Donna's guardianship, if only out of spite. But one little thing more won't change the calculations there, I would agree."

"I'm such a trouble to everybody", I grumble. Still feeling mopey. "Even Donna, I turn up and bam, she has troubles."

"The one who is being a trouble is reverend Englund, and he's been a trouble for my daughter too", Gothmog points out. "A comeuppance for him is overdue, in my opinion. Alright, how do you like that?" There's no point offering me a mirror, when I can make a second self and look directly. Oho. Before my hair grew out suddenly, it was a sort of random shaggy bob, the result of growing from zero without ever meeting a stylist. Somehow he's taken that as inspiration, but given it shape and grace, a layered short bob, showing off my curls, while still looking like I climb trees and skin my knees falling out of them. Oh I love this. I give him a hug, while other me is still in the chair grinning. "It's perfect", we say together. Which makes him laugh. Okay, vanish the cut bits, saves on itching and sweeping. And over in the other room, I extend it and copy the cuts, vanishing hairs as they fall, so Sara can see it too. She loves it. Yay!

"Alright the both of you, come along with me", Gothmog says. "Petra, if you're curious, you can come along too. You might not be able to move your own mark, but you can learn how it's done."


	21. Part 21

# # Part twenty one

Happily, we have time to get some serious snuggling done before lunch, and Sara gets to watch me move the mark, and gives me a kiss over where I've moved it to, to seal the deal. That being right over my heart, in the V of my cleavage where even the school uniform will show it off if I wear the collar loose. No hiding who I love any more!

Snuggling with Sara is so delicious, and I really want the opportunity to repay the favour she did me on Sunday morning (yum, such memories). Everything's been frenetic since then, but now I can do tentacles too, and I'm all but itching to try them out on her. Frustratingly though, it's not private enough at this time of day for anything more than heavy petting and mutual teases. (Tentacles under clothes, mmm nice. And mine are as sensitive as fingertips right down their length, so it's a lovely way to caress her.) Not that I'd personally mind an audience in the least, but I don't want to push my luck with Carson right now. And there isn't really much time, as the clock-monitoring part of me warns, we're coming up on end of third period, which means lunch.

Getting to Crystal Hall a little early, hand in hand with Sara, gives me a head start on the food queue as I do my usual split into three trick, one to stay with Sara, one to wait for the Kimbas to get here, one to fill up trays with piles of noms. I figure, I'm going to be eating like a pig for at least the rest of today, perhaps tomorrow too. I burned down a lot of reserves hatching, and even life sorcery doesn't let me just make new body fat appear - well, not without going unsubtle and leaving a huge magical mess I'd have to beg Fey to repair. Simpler to do it the biological way, namely, food.

Here comes the crowd, the Kimbas included. I give them a wave, and soon we're all in place, crystal touched, no need to worry about eavesdroppers. They're happy to see me safe and well, Toni is sweet with encouraging me to eat up, "You're nothing but skin and bones all of a sudden! Although I love the new hair, and those eyes are amazing." But they are really more worked up about their morning training run, where they defeated a bunch of robots, and Billie is morose that her successful efforts have rendered the training range radioactive and she's been told to tone it down. I make another me to give her a hug, and she's grateful. We scary eldritch creatures should stick together, heh.

Oh, and it seems the chefs have put together a snow-flower salad for Ayla. He pronounces my accidental addition to gastronomy "flavourful, with a nice crunch". For some reason, this makes me smile. I'm not really in Ayla's orbit much, but it feels good that I could do something he enjoys.

Over at the other table, the pack assembles piecemeal, Jet getting here first, she's taking some lessons this term rather than constantly guarding Sara, then Paige and Hippolyta and Erin. Gypsy kinda looks sour, but joins us. I wonder what her regular name is, she's only ever given the codename. Hippolyta finds it amusing that with me and Paige bracketing Sara, she's got blue glowing eyes on one side and pink glowing eyes on the other. Together with Sara's spooky red ones that makes a striking composition. Of course I use another me to peek, and agree it's nifty, which cracks the rest of them up. Having multiple bodies is weird even for here.

It seems they've been hearing rumours about me. The pack is more spread out in affiliations than the Kimbas who stick together and mostly care about each other, so they hear things. Several students have already been talking about me as some sort of life goddess come to Earth. Erin is worried that will invite jealousy from the New Olympians. She's technically one of them, but thinks Imperious and Majestic are selfish stuck-up asses, and Counterpoint is a stab-happy psycho. Duly noted. Paige has picked up a lot of chit-chat between the usual agencies and the more easily bought members of security. I have been noticed, it seems. Not really a surprise. And Gypsy has a verbal prophecy for me and Sara, "the enemy is already within". No further clarification, she tried and got actively blocked. She's worried, I am too, but there's not much I can do to respond yet, so I'll keep it in mind and see if any patterns match. I have an annoying abundance of enemies, which makes narrowing the options hard. Jet, meanwhile, has heard that rumours I'm intersex are spreading, with reactions ranging from disgust to secretly admitted lust. I'm definitely fine with that, maybe Peeper will come back and interview me again? Although I think he's a bit terrified of me. Maybe Jet can refer the lustful ones to me? At least the ones who are girls or non-binary, I don't think I'll ever be into regular boys, but maybe extra feminine ones? It would be enjoyable to have more lovers to share myself with.

I let her know that's okay, and she nods, she'll pass it on. That does get me a funny look from Hippolyta. "Don't you have enough on your plate?"

I shake my head. "I could make a separate body to love every lovable student in the school, if they're willing to share. Maybe when I'm older, I'll have thousands, or millions of lovers at once. I see no reason to hold back. Although certain cuties are definitely first among multitudes", with a grin to Sara, and Paige too. Sara awws, and rests her head on my shoulder, I love her so much.

Erin asks an interesting one, "millions of children too?" Which makes me realize a thing. If I bear, or sire, millions of children, compared to any regular human's one or two, the biggest genetic influence on future generations will be me. If I keep doing it century after century with my indefinite lifetime, I could rewrite the entire genetic basis of humanity, like a one woman gene drive. And given I can change my genetic code at a whim, well... It's a slow power, but it's an enormous, terrifying responsibility of one.

"Maybe", I say. Because I think I probably will, but it'll require a lot of careful, compassionate thought. Sara sends me a secret hug and grin of support and "talk to me about that later" through the mark. And yeah, I can see the rest of them are thinking it through, they aren't idiots. "Best not mention that idea to anyone else", I add. That gets several nods.

I'm going to need my laptop, so I send a body over a teleport to Poe, to fetch it. But there's time to check emails before I go - aha, one from sensei Tolman. She wants me to come in for combat assessment, tomorrow in first period. After the powers re-test, naturally. Other me returns with laptop, me with the pack can keep that and split for the lessons, while me with the Kimbas can walk to the shrink appointment. Sara's decided to take the combat movement class alongside me. She wasn't originally planning to, and I suspect she's mostly there to keep me company. Well, that and outshine everyone else being a scary little speed monster. Yeah, I haven't forgotten reading "the Op". That class is over in Laird, so we head that way together.

Except, unfortunately, looks like it's not going to be plain sailing. Miss butt length brown hair, mister snow white 80s cut and muscles, both look like seniors, and mister black hair red eyes, looks our age and mean, all step out into our way.

Sara says down the mark, "The New Olympians. Erin guessed it."

Yeah, I know them from reading. I mentally show her a scene from a movie I saw as a kid, Johnny five saying "colt 45, semi automatic: play-dough", crushing a handgun with ease. Which makes her snicker. While having a perfect physical poker face on the outside.

The white haired one says, "Carmilla, our quarrel isn't with you, you can go past."

I send Vader saying "leave them to me, I will deal with them myself" down the mark. Followed by reassurance. She replies with love and amusement.

"Go ahead", I say verbally to Sara. She nods, and walks past the The Incredible Smug. To whom I say, "How can I help you?" And meanwhile, send a body over *there*...

"Do you know what hubris is?" He pronounces it strangely, perhaps he's speaking the ancient Greek word, not the modern one.

This is something I can answer. "Outraging dignity, arrogant misbehaviour towards another. The theme of a lot of surviving Greek tragedies."

"And taking the prerogatives of the gods", he says. "Setting yourself up as a goddess, for example, when *you are not!*" that last rising to a yell. And I can feel him battering at me with some psychic domination power. The body's local mind is overwhelmed, true, but it's easy enough to cut that out of the loop and puppeteer the body from outside. He's trying to drive me to my knees but I don't even budge.

"I have a better claim to it than you", I say. "I took action to improve the universe. I exist outside it now and intend to care for it. What have you done? Nothing but set yourselves up a nice nest and feathered it with worship you never earned, then come back now to try again. Your existence is parasitic. The ones who should be calling hubris are the humans." For reasons I probably ought to discuss with the Doc, I rile easily at people who misuse power, and he kinda trod right on that sore spot.

Of course all three are now giving me death-glares. Himself is sparking like a busted high-voltage transformer. "I will not be tricked into murder on school grounds, but there is a lot short of murder. Counterpoint, teach her humility."

I rabbit. Of course I do, the guy is vastly more combat capable than I am at present, but then, there are alternatives to fighting, as Obi-Wan would say. I can go fairly fast, but I think any of the three can out-pace me in a straight sprint. Can they go up walls with tentacles, like I do up Crystal Hall? Well, I guess Counterpoint can fly, that means he's behind me as I leap off and try for a tentacle-assisted soft landing, but instead he grabs me in mid air and puts me in an armlock as we land, pushing me face first into snow, which hurts, and dragging me up by the hair at an angle, ouch. The other two come running around, and mister psycho says, "So what shall I do first? Tear your arm out of joint? Smash your pretty face into the dirt until I can't recognise it?" Of course, security is nowhere to be seen.

At last, the thing I was waiting for, the faint ringing of a bell, which brings a smile to my bruised lips. "I have a better idea. What you can do is be late for class", I say, and vanish the body. And me and Sara share a smirk as the combat movement class starts.

Okay, I've made no friends there. But honestly, they're nuisances and are on my problems list for sorting out. Humanity shouldn't be plagued by creatures whose only purpose is to have a rollicking good time at everyone else's expense. Gods, my ass, they're oversized tapeworms.

Which means, I suppose, I have to take responsibility and pick up the slack.


	22. Part 22

# # Part twenty two

****9th January, 2007, Whateley, Doyle medical center, mental health annex, fourth period****

"Good afternoon, come in please, coffee?" Doc Bellows is his usual cheerfully friendly self.

"Coffee would be lovely", I say. And sigh. "Sorry if I'm a bit discombobulated. I just overreacted badly and made some entirely avoidable enemies. I need to watch my temper around people I consider to be bullies."

He nods, handing me a mug of the good stuff. "Relax, take a sip, take a deep breath. Would you like to talk about that first? Or I could indulge my curiosity and ask about your new eyes?"

"It's kind of the same story", I admit. "I did a thing yesterday night that changed my eyes, made the flowers, left me fully unconscious for a few hours, and seems to be getting me labelled as a new goddess. Which annoyed the kids who think they are old gods, and we had a discussion that went badly."

He nods. "I've seen your medical records from last night. You were, for few hours there, completely unresponsive. But Miss Reilly and Miss Waite assured the doctors you'd be fine, and here you are, not much the worse for wear."

"Yeah, I went through a bit of a level-up", I say. "That, I think, was the boundary between being a human turning into what they call a 'great old one', and a larval 'great old one' who used to be human. Someone, who should know, called it 'hatching'."

"Do you still feel human?"

I ponder that. "I look at myself mentally and I can't tell. There's as many ways the answer's no as there are yes. I was. I am shaped by it. But I am no longer that."

"It bothers you, clearly."

"I know that most of what's fallen away are limitations. I'm not losing my values, I'm being careful about that. But I suppose this comes back to my trouble with the New Olympians just earlier. Can I handle myself? I behaved like a jerk just now. Me as a jerk would be calamitously bad."

"Why don't you tell me what happened?"

And so I do. I finish with, "The point being, doc, I didn't have to say any of that. Whether or not it's technically true. I could have just said "not interested" and vanished the body. And I definitely didn't have to lead them a dance, rub their faces in powerlessness, and make them late for class. That was me getting my own back, less on them specifically, than on bullies in the abstract. By, and I now realise the irony, bullying them."

"Those are three of the more dangerous children in this school, but you clearly regard yourself as more powerful?"

"There's not much they can do to touch me. That's without getting into weapons, of which I have several. You know some, I've gained more."

"Such as?"

I consider. "Are you prepared to be a lab rat, doc? I promise no harm, and I won't do anything at all, not even help, without prior informed consent. If yes, give me your hand." And I hold out a hand for his.

"I must be an idiot, but I'm curious", he says and hesitantly takes my hand.

Since my power-up, I've been able to sense myself at a cellular level in a new way. Not just in an area I focus upon, but all of me at once, and I have extremely fine control, not just cells but individual proteins like my hair, my genes, all of it. It's how I'm certain I could return from no bodies, now. But that awareness has only extended to myself, so far. What I'm speculating is that I can extend it across skin to skin contact into another body, without pushing the sorcery so hard it starts distorting things and making taint.

And it looks like I was right. I see his cells too, and I can feel my control as if his body were an extension of my own. I explore for any medical issues. "You have minor pre-cancerous cells in a few places, shall I snuff those? That means instructing the cells to lyse." He nods, I do so. "Okay done, and you have small amounts of joint wear and inflammation, could become arthritis, shall I fix it? That means rebuilding cartilage, cleaning up the autoimmunity." He nods again. That takes a bit longer, a few seconds because I'm pushing the cells well above their usual work rate, and I don't want to leave magical taint in his joints. "Okay, no further issues unless you want me to fix your ageing damage?"

"Meaning what?"

"Immune cells asleep on the job. Crud inside cells and between them. Mitochondria gone haywire and spitting out oxidative radicals. Stem cells missing or under-active. Stuff like that."

"You can just wish it away?"

"More like detail-instruct the cells how to fix it. The actual fix will take a few weeks. You'll start to see the hairs coming in dark, skin becoming tight and elastic, stuff like that. Give it a month and you'll probably look a lot younger."

He considers. "Alright, do it. I wouldn't mind my youth back. This is a medical miracle, you realise?"

"Pretty much literally", I agree. "Okay, give me a few minutes." This one is much more fiddly, but I manage to teach his cells the tricks they will need to clean up. Presumably, they'll keep them too. A long life for him.

Surfacing, I let go his hand. "Alright. So. That was the benevolent side of that power, and I honestly hope I can keep using it that way. But I'm sure it's obvious how much absolute havoc I could wreak with it, both subtle and very much not."

He winces and nods. "Honestly, I think if you don't hide this in powers testing, they are at minimum going to give you an armband, probably a section 33. You could be instantly fatal in an alarming number of ways. Possibly rescuing you from that fate, is that you don't have to. Fine control means the option to stop short of exploding someone's heart."

I nod. "It's probably the best tool I have for quick safe knock-downs, but I'll need to give the exact attack some thought."

"Please also consult the medical staff, specialists if possible, to ensure you wouldn't cause some sort of rampaging side effect." He looks a bit worried.

I reassure him that I definitely won't just run around experimenting on people I have disagreements with. I will at least talk it through with the docs to ensure that dropping their blood pressure won't give them organ failure or whatever.

Well, that is unless somebody puts me in a serious spot before I've got a safe technique down. In which case more fool them.

****9th January, 2007, Whateley, Laird hall, fourth period****

While I'm talking to the doc, I'm also finding the combat movement class very interesting. The video Mr Anderson shows, I'm sure I've read about. Which means I'd be cheating to give the answer - that was mister Mahren, now Caitlin Bardue, in a sim. And he was a baseline back then. Parkour is beautiful, and I really want to give it a go.

We get into watching Gateway's match. She's Chou's girl, I've seen her around a bit, and of course, read of her. Cute, quiet kid, with a gigantic not-a-panther for a familiar. Unfortunately, it's a short match. Poor her, that looked unpleasant.

Mr Anderson says “Okay, so we have two questions we need to discuss… what did she do wrong and what did she do right. Let’s begin. Who has thoughts? Put your hands up please and wait to be called. Yes, Sharpie.”

One of the students I don't know, except that he hangs out with the underdog group, says "She used the corner trick you taught last term in survival class, and it worked."

"Good answer, yes, she did. Golden Girl lost track of her at that point, and had to turn around and search. That took several minutes."

I have my hand up, and he picks me, "Yes, girl with the white hair and pink eyes next to Carmilla, what's your code name?"

"I'm Parallel. After she used the corner to evade, she settled down in one place and did a spell. But that area wasn't an effective hiding place, it was too close, it didn't cover well from the possible sight lines of a flying opponent. She ended up seen from behind. I'd call it a great place to pause but a bad place to stay. It would be better to move again until she could find somewhere that hid her from both ends of the street and above, like perhaps under a fire escape."

"Good answer. Why do you think she didn't do that? You aren't in a position to know this, because you weren't in my classes last term, but she has already been taught to analyse hiding places in that sort of way."

"It's hard to want to leave a hidey hole when something terrifying is outside it?" I'm sure I'd find it hard. Sara gives me a grin, clearly she remembers being the something terrifying.

"Yes. Fear in a real combat situation is paralysing. It causes a reaction of denial. It causes you to forget to think intellectually. It throws you back onto your unconsidered reactions. You will tend to continue doing what you are already doing, or what you have rehearsed, rather than stopping and re-ordering your priorities. Here, Gateway should have set aside her intent to summon, and moved out of the temporary hiding place to better cover. The fact she did not, isn't a flaw of thought, because in those circumstances thought would be hard for anyone. It is a flaw of training. Which we will be rectifying in this class. We will be partly covering theory, but partly also studying practical movement, how it relates to terrain features, sight lines, cover, concealment and other similar concepts. We will be using this classroom for theory. Now, everyone please stand up!"

We all do, and he continues, "Follow me please. We will also be using the adjacent classroom to practise indoors, as it has been set up for parkour", while he's saying this he's headed for the door, and we follow him into the hallway and then across into a much larger, gym type room, which is full of wooden walls and ledges, scaffolding, various crash mats. "This area is mainly intended for practise of the forms of movement. We will also be practising outside around the campus. Please bring your costume, or a tracksuit for those who don't have one, to all subsequent classes. If you brought it today, well done, please change now. If you didn't, you'll be taking today's class in your uniform. Changing rooms are over there."

I don't have a tracksuit, but I suppose the store will sell them. For today, uniform will do. If I get unpleasantly sweaty, I have other bodies.

And while I'm joining in with the rest of the class practising movement tricks like crouched walking, elbow crawling, and rolling over an obstacle, I'm thinking at the same time of how much I'm going to let show in the powers test, which I'll be headed to after I'm done with Doc Bellows.


	23. Part 23

# # Part twenty three

****9th January, 2007, Whateley, fifth period****

Talking with the Doc has given me things to think about, even if we never reached the topic that's been bothering me, the "am I a goddess" thing. Sadly, our conversation has to end when the end of fourth period bell goes. We shake hands, and then I have to head to a powers re-test. Which thankfully, at least starts out in the same building.

I've reached a decision about that. They're going to get the whole enchilada, and I just hope it doesn't make anybody choke.

This time, I've been told to skip the physical and head straight for the powers testing area. It's familiar from about a week ago, but busier. There's a receptionist now. "Hi, miss Parallel, am I correct? Take a seat please." Oh hey, magazines from the 1990s.

One short wait later, and Dr Hewley, who I met last time, comes into the room. "Hello again, come on through. I hear you've been gaining new powers since we last met?"

I nod. "Several. Some mutant, some not." As we come through into the testing lab, I see someone I wasn't expecting to meet until later today - Circe.

"Alright, here we go. Miss Parallel, there's been interest in your test from outside the school, and Circe here has been asked to act as a neutral party and observer, to check you aren't gaming the ratings. Are you willing to accept that?"

Last I saw, Circe didn't like me much, but I have no reason to doubt her honesty. As for being snooped on by outsiders, I expected that, I've made myself noticeable. "I have no objections." I give Circe a smile, can't hurt to be nice, although she does the painted-vase stony face back. Either she's still grumpy or she takes her neutrality seriously. Or both, who knows.

The physical part of the test doesn't take long. My exemplar level went up to 4, probably due to hatching, I'm faster, a bit stronger, vastly more dexterous, although a lot of that dexterity is down to the fine muscle control I taught myself. Another cut test guesses my regen at 6, again, although they would have to see me shot up or something to be more precise. They can operate a few more machines this time around, and that lets me show my warping while they monitor it. I can show teleports too, this time. Both the short range direct warping kind, and the long range space bending kind. Do I know my maximum range? Not a clue. We don't have space to test it here, but it doesn't feel very range limited. More like, I'm limited by knowing where to go. Shooting off into outer space would be messily fatal for that body, I'm not Tennyo.

Then we get to synthetic powers. I learned things, and that makes me something of a pseudo-gadgeteer. I've got several from warping. The reflective shields, although they're too much effort to really be practical. The discontinuity knife, which I describe but don't show, for obvious reasons. Flight, which I show, and I think I'm getting a bit more precise at it. And gravity sensing. That sense is just on all the time now, it's become part of how I experience the world around me. It means I have all-around perception, in fine detail up close, of large masses at distance. Yes, I can feel how hollow and cavern-riddled the ground is under Whateley, way deep down. It's a little creepy.

And then we get into great old one stuff. My multiple minds thing is that, although it drew some of its basis from warping, it exists beyond that now. They bring me a new textbook to read. I finish it as fast as I can turn the pages, fingers moving much faster than I could before. And then I can answer detail and evaluative questions about it. I explain that I can do things like turning off pain, or boredom. I can analyse and alter my own mental processes. I can mentally dive down to the soul level a bit, although I haven't tried recently. That does interest Circe, especially when I explain that it's the foundation of my multiple bodies ability.

Demonstrating that takes a while. I can show that I can make bodies near me, or far over a teleport. I can make them inside sealed containers. When I'm asked how, I have to explain the sort of polite understanding I have with physical reality. That causes amusement. Honestly, I'm not sure how true a model that is, but it's how it seems to me. But the result is that inserting a body is not an act bounded by physical law, since it only starts being physical once it's inserted. And likewise contrariwise, removing it. It's not warping, and it's not a mutant power. Yes, the bodies are copies based on physical ones, but I believe I could do one that isn't a copy.

Can I try, as a demonstration?

Okay, here goes. See every cell, shape the body, I'm going to make this one older, let's say young adult, twentyish. Bigger boobs, a bit of rounding to the ass. Skeleton that fits, organs that fit, nerves, circulation, lymph - I compare the mental model to my actual one, have I missed anything important? Nope.

And insert it. Oops, did forget something, I have no mental models of clothes for this size, and I'm naked. Ah well, own it I guess. "Sorry, no clothes that fit this size. Feel free to ogle, unless you have spares?" And find myself giggling at the testers' red faced responses. Well, except Circe, who looks me up and down and evidently approves. Okay, I did not know that about her and yes, she is actually very hot in an adult kind of way and now I wonder what three thousand years of experience means. Oops, boner. Yes, she is amused. Don't ask me how I know, her poker face is epic.

Doc Hewley asks, "Why did you make the body intersex? I presume, when you work from scratch, you aren't constrained by your BIT?"

Less constrained than you know, doc. "It's who I am. This is my right body, it fits my soul. I could probably do regular female. It wouldn't be me, though. I'd miss this", I gesture down, "embarrassing as it can be when it takes a liking to someone. I call myself a girl, but that's a simplification, I'm a bit mixed, and this reflects it."

"And the copy is still genetically identical?", the Doc asks, "Can we take samples?"

I nod, "Go ahead if you want, although I can tell you right now I made this one genetically identical. But I'm not constrained to, I just only have my current genome to work with as a model."

"Your current genome", the doc says with a Spock raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, so, now we get to the fun bit", I put the copy away and continue from my less naked original, "I've been studying great old one type sorcery with Carmilla", I leave off mention of Gothmog, he's not my secret to tell, "and I quickly realised I was a natural at life sorcery. That's basically, manipulation of the foundation principles of the life-creative principle. It's something I can do longhand, by explicitly calling out the rune incantations, but it's also something that's just become part of my nature. It's become a life sense, that lets me feel living things and their natures in the world around me, similar to gravity sensing. And that sense when applied inward now gives me complete sensation of my own biological nature, at the subcellular level. Including genomes. And also, I have control of it. So I could in principle change my genome. Gradually, to avoid accidentally killing the body with side effects."

"And what else can you change?"

"A lot, depending how hard I push it. Our type of sorcery doesn't use essence like wizard magic, but the downside is that it distorts things. Doing a lot of it leaves class-X contamination, dangerous to almost everyone, requiring magical effort to clean up. So my biological work uses as little as possible. If I stick within what leaves no taint, I can only move things along at biological speed. Pushing them a bit beyond that, like say growing my hair out in an instant, leaves tiny amounts of taint that quickly dissipate. Outright shifting my whole body as fast as a mutant shifter can do it, would be a contamination nightmare."

He nods. "And what can you shift into?"

"So far I've only done human materials, but I don't think it's limited. Probably anything alive, or made by anything alive. As I am now, I'd probably only have to touch living material to get enough information to copy."

"Could you copy other humans?" I nod. "And mutant traits?"

I shrug. "Honestly, mutant traits are something I have no idea about. But if I have their genome, perhaps whatever about this universe supplies the powers will supply them to me too? I haven't tried cloning anybody, I'm aware that would be very politically unwise." I don't mention my plans for Jamie. Better to ask forgiveness than permission for that one, I think.

"How about inorganic materials?"

"I could specialise cells to secrete or construct things. I can't just turn into glass, say, but I'm fairly confident I could instruct cells to lay down layers of glass and make something that way."

"Shifter six, perhaps seven, then", the doc says. "With a note that it's a non-mutant power."

"High rating given I'm slow", I say. "But I suppose, fair given the range. Also, I found today, I can extend life sense and control across skin contact, to someone else."

"Control, meaning, you could touch someone and what?"

"I get full insight and full control of their body at the subcellular level. I think, if I pushed the sorcery a bit harder, I could do it from further away too. It'd be easy to block with even a weak ward though, I'm deliberately using low power."

"Control with which you could do harm?"

"Trivially. Or heal. I really don't want to harm someone. I'd have it on my conscience forever and I'd rather not. Also I'm fairly sure that doing worse than a temporary inconvenience would get me expelled on the spot. But I wouldn't mind being on call to help heal people."

Doc Hewley notes that down. "I'll pass that on."

I add, "Couple more things I can do. Combine understanding of bio-materials with body insertion, and I can insert objects." I show them a copy of the flute. "So far, I've done bulk bone as a material. I might be able to get more fancy now. I can use this to make simple weapons, as well." I make a dagger and show it.

"Are they manifested?"

I shake my head. "They're me, in a really fundamental way, they're rather like highly simplified and reshaped bodies. That's my bone. I'm told that's a big risk magically."

Circe nods, "It would be a very effective link. Like taking your hair, only more so."

I say, "Upside is, I can just vanish them as easily as any other body", and both items disappear. "Which slightly mitigates the risk to me."

Circe nods.

"And the last thing I can do, this", and I make some tentacles. "They seem to be hard light or something of that nature, they pass through my clothing without harming it, but I can physically pick things up, pull and push and so on, and I get touch sensation from them. Honestly, I'm not sure how they work, I think it's a manifestation of my desire to have them, through my knack at life sorcery."

"You wanted to have them?" The doc is a bit incredulous.

"Carmilla has them, and I find hers really pretty. I've wanted my own since I saw hers. It surprises me how many people can't see the cuteness. And also, well, they're useful." Thoughts of how Sara uses them cause me to blush a bit. Getting definite amusement vibes from Circe again.

She reaches out a hand to hold one, and I lay it in her palm. It's an interesting and intimate sensation to feel the warmth and touch of her hand through it. She asks, "They only come in this form, like a sea anemone, tapering to a point?"

"No, that's the default, but I can change their shape. Flat like a squid, to grip, padded to walk on, those are shapes I've tried." I don't mention that I have plans for lots of other tip shapes for, um, fun. With self and others.

She nods. "This is definitely made of magic, taking the form of living matter. To my senses, they feel alive, although simple in form."

The doc makes notes. Then says, "You say they can grip and support your weight?"

And so it's back to the physical testing area, where I show that I can walk on them, starfish-like, I can climb walls by grabbing handholds in tentacle-tips, and I can lift things with them. They're as strong as my regular muscles, although obviously lever action works against me if I make them reach far out away from my body. As my body weight is like a tenth of my max lift, I can bounce around on them too. Because I can extend them out around me like some fluffy seed, I can break falls with them, and take no harm when I bounce into things. It's quite a fun way to move.

In the end I get my new power rating. Mutant powers: exemplar four, regenerator six, warper four with space, gravity and teleportation. Non mutant powers: shapeshifter six, gadgeteer one (equivalent, due to learning), manifester one (for the tentacles, even though they aren't the usual kind of manifesting), wizard five (equivalent, due to sorcery). That last one causes some ructions, they don't have a rating system for GOO sorcery at all. Sara got hers bundled in with psi, but I don't seem to have any of that, yet. Circe in her role as observer insists it goes on the MID, so they call it wizardry for lack of an alternative. I get a five because I can operate it by instinct.

And then the end of sixth period bell goes, which means I have detention (or at least one of me does - I'm not sure how the rules cover that).

"Alright", says Circe. "Follow me, please, you're with me now. I have a few inquiries of my own to make."


	24. Part 24

# # Part twenty four

****9th January, 2007, Whateley, after sixth period****

Combat movement class was fun. I've been quietly using the mark to keep Sara up to date with what I was up to in powers testing, as we bounded and rolled around the parkour training area. Now that other me is headed off to detention with Circe, we mutually decide to stick together and keep a body outside for simple escape if needed. Also, so Sara can peek over my shoulder and tell me before I step into something dangerous. Worst case, she can link with Fey over the blood bond and ask her advice. We'll head over to Hawthorne and her room for snuggles.

Sara heads towards the tunnels. But I stop her, "hold up, I want to show you the way of moving I just invented. I think you'll like it."

"Oh?" She's curious.

"Follow me outside," I grin.

And so we do, and then when we reach a clear bit of ground beside the crush of exiting students I say, "Alright, copy me." And I extend my tentacles all around me like a fluffy seed, lifting myself up off the ground, so I'm standing in something like a twelve-foot wide tentacle ball (and drawing a lot of curious stares). She has to get hers out from under her uniform, but does the same. "Okay so, we can both lift loads more than our body weight. Which means, now we can push off hard enough to bound, and break our fall gently no matter how we land. Upright, upside down, against a wall, doesn't matter. Catch most of the force in the springiness of our tentacles, and we only need a bit of a push to keep up speed. So... bouncing!" And I push off into a leap towards Schuster on a trajectory that looks like it should splatter me against the wall. I hit high up, slowing myself with tentacle tips into a push-bounce, caroming over towards Doyle like a living pinball, "whee!"

We pinball ourselves off Doyle and Melville, laughing like mad things, bound way over the top of Poe, leaving tentacle-splats in the snow, and finally fetch up in front of Hawthorne, lying in snow, completely incapacitated by giggles.

At the same time, heading out of Doyle with Circe, I watch myself and Sara bounce off towards Hawthorne like giggling oversized fluff-balls. And yeah, it's drawn attention, ranging from open mouth gapes to laughter to energetic discussion on how to copy us.

"Are you trying to overshadow the shoulder angels?" Circe looks openly amused, the poker face is put away now that she's no longer officially neutral. "You may have started a competing trend."

"I think the Headmistress is going to hate me, but it was too fun to pass up, after I'd figured how to do it", I say.

"I think of the two trends, she might prefer yours", Circe says. "Provided the copycats are as gentle with the buildings. As soon as we get some fool in a two ton mecha-tentacle suit digging holes in the brickwork, she'll bring the hammer down. There is always someone who doesn't realise when enough becomes too much." As we talk we're headed across campus towards Kirby.

"Is that how you view Monday night's business?" I ask.

"Were you showing off? Playing to your own ego and ignoring the safety of an entire universe?"

Way I read her, that was a genuine question. And a test of my honesty. So, earnest self examination. Do I like being spooky and positioning myself as a saviour of the whole universe? Obvious answer to that is yes. Of course I have enough ego to enjoy a pedestal, and I'm an outright exhibitionist, standing on stage comes naturally. Did that influence the form of what I did? Yeah kinda, I wasn't firing on all cylinders, but I could definitely have been a lot less operatic. Sara's hatching was pretty low key, but then, that's her downbeat style.

Could I have avoided specifying and fixing my nature? No, I think I couldn't, that was all going to happen one way or another - like a sneeze, once started, it won't take instructions to stop. And I was already channelled into being *something* in the life spectrum, I'd been using it heavily, and it comes naturally. My options were either glom onto Grandma's amoral nature and make the best of that, or rail against it. And I've never been the type to sit down and take an injustice.

I suppose that captures the nub of it. I have enough self-assertion to be willing to throw down against the outer gods and tell the universe to fix itself, and the fact that life was unavoidably fated to diverge away from any value was bothering me. I think, if I was human, it would be overwhelming me. But instead, I was able to treat it as a problem and propose a solution. And my feeling for the universe was worry and compassion and to an extent, love. I am very much wired to protect, and I wanted to gather the whole of life up and protect it.

Did I ignore the risk? I think I considered the status quo ante a disaster with absolute certainty. I would have to watch the Earth and everything good in it diverge into garble, even if it took a million years, simply because the mechanisms of life were uncaring. That was the risk I couldn't ignore. Set against that, I felt I wouldn't mess up, I could feel the opportunity was open, I knew it would close again once I had set my self definition in stone.

"Partially but mostly not", I say. "Mostly, I wanted to break the curse of an uncaring universe. Bake in a bit of care. And by defining my nature around it, I had the chops to. I felt it was necessary."

"Partially?"

"You know I don't hate eyes on me", I say, remembering earlier.

She nods. "Thank you for giving that some proper thought now. It felt to me like, at the time you didn't think? But perhaps, you just thought fast."

"More like slowly, over days", I say. "The conclusion was already almost reached, and when I hit the crisis, I took the remaining step, a short one."

She nods, as we come up to the entrance to Kirby. "That can happen. It brings a quick answer, but requires discipline in your everyday thoughts to be sure it's a good one."

Are my thoughts disciplined? Not really, but what they are is uninterrupted. I can and do spin off threads to follow the thread of a thought right to the end. I don't ever lose concentration, any more. If something else pops up, off goes a thread to follow it. A monkey with infinite minds can chase every thought.

I ask, "I'm going to be helping you 'undo my mess'. What will that entail?" Change the topic because I don't think she needs a rundown on how I think. Also I do rather want to know.

"I'm less annoyed with you than I was in the moment", she says, "but I am still faced with the practical problem that a new fundamental law has been added to the universe, I will need to work with it or around it, and I know almost nothing about it. So your job will be helping me understand, and helping me re-apply it as a principle to spells that no longer work."

I nod. "I bound it into my nature, and I can draw the rune and work with it instinctively, but I should warn you that a human level, I don't have much detail understanding of it either."

"And at a deeper level?"

"I think that level of me understands it. At that level, the problem is more like a lack of understanding of here", I wave my hand around, indicating the physical world. "Knowledge doesn't just filter up easily. We don't exactly have a language in common."

She looks thoughtful. "Perhaps, there, I can help." She pauses. "First though, I need to lead you through a door, and you are not allowed to be just shown this door, you must discover it. So I must do the equivalent of blindfolding you. Except of course, that a blindfold would hardly slow you down." She saw my life and gravity sense in the test.

"I tend to shrug off mental domination effects too", I say. "Probably your best bet is full unconsciousness."

"You will not be able to sense despite that?"

"Only from my other bodies." And the sense feed from that body suddenly cuts off. Oops. Memo to self, learn magical shielding, because I had no warning at all there. I don't doubt she could still poke me through a newbie's shield, but I think I'd have at least had enough notice to brace. Gothmog side me can look into that.

That cut-off lasts two minutes and thirty one seconds, during which time Sara rotates her room out of alignment again so we can have privacy to monitor - and finally get to play. Dirty sweaty school uniform go bye-bye. Wholly naked me is now enjoying being looked at by her beloved.

"You, sweetie, smell of unwashed athlete", Sara says amused. "I don't sweat. You sure do. Time for a bath." Oh no, brer fox, don't throw me into the briar patch.

Over the other side, my senses snap back on. I'm hovering, prone on my back, at about hip level. "Welcome back", Circe says. Her personal lab is... less classical Greek than I'd mentally pictured. I suppose, it was a long time ago for her too. The present room is tastefully modern-minimalist, stone floors, hardwood furniture. Shelves in bamboo. A noticeable absence of steel.

"Uh, yeah, thanks", I say. "That was disconcerting. I should make an effort to find that door." She rotates me upright, and lets me take my own weight again.

"Indeed, and save me the trouble of hauling you around like a sack of potatoes." She goes to draw a circle on the floor, using a chalk on a stick so she doesn't have to crouch. "My intention with this circle, is that I will draw out what you call your deeper level. I have experience dealing with them, and I may be able to gain understanding more quickly than by asking you as a human. This should not harm you, or cause pain. It may be, again, disconcerting."

"I kind of would like to meet that side of me, so, a little being disconcerted is fine." I'm actually eager. But I do show her work to Sara (as she's running the bath), and she confirms it a modified summoning, the source and target both the person inside. Good, no tricks. "What do I do?"

"Step inside the circle please." Alright, I do that. My feel for sorcery is kind of telling me things about the circle I'm in, but I don't understand them.

As other me is enjoying a very nice warm and soapy bath with now-naked (and slippery) Sara, this me watches her walk around the circle speaking words that my sorcery is translating but my human mind doesn't have concepts for, except that it's a call going deep, far, away from the concrete into the abstract, and it's showing a part of me how to bend so it can surface through me. And I can feel that happening. My space of minds is changing, the soul level is rising up through, we all send it/her love and caring, surrounding it/her with nurture and encouragement, it/she is enormous, incomprehensible, but feels young and eager and very curious. Rising to the surface, the body's mind is gently pushed aside. Warping comes active, and the body explodes out into tesseract-spinning angles and fractal whorls. Human level me is watching, Sara is watching, snuggled together in warm bathwater, I see a flash of love and greeting flare down the mark and for a moment Sara is outlined in a black glow as her own deep self responds and snuggles against a caress that could melt mountains.

The me in Circe's room speaks. Not in a voice, but by imposing ideas out onto the world, so each word is like a branching tree. "GREET (Hello!)(Curiosity)(Friendship) LONG (Forward and backward)(We are mostly only forward) HUMAN (Mage) (Interesting!)(Lust for you)(Let's exchange (life)(information)(communication))(Togetherness)".


	25. Part 25

# # Part twenty five

I'm trying to adjust to having my great old one self all twisted up and out to the surface of my minds, and it's difficult. The many human-shaped me are still there, but we aren't the biggest thing in our mutual mind now by some orders of magnitude. We're like snowflakes swirling around a mountain. An intensely aware, friendly, curious, very alien mountain.

I think I've disappointed Sara, who was hoping for some proper blow-off-steam fun (I was too), but I'm for the first time in a while, thoroughly distracted. She finishes washing me off in the bath, with me mainly able to help with things at the level of "hold this", "now stand up", gets me into some pyjamas I keep stashed in her place, and opens up the room so she can let some of the other pack in, Jet and Paige and Erin wanted to come in. Me, I'm on the bed, kinda staring at the ceiling. I'm glad she can tap in through the mark and see what's going on, because I couldn't coherently talk right now.

Circe and big me (as I shall call it/her) are happily chatting away about the characteristics of the new fundamental universal principle. Calling it a law would be oversimplifying, it's more like I shifted things so the corollaries of laws work out differently. Big me views the metaverse kind of as mathematics working itself out, and kind of as abstract consciousness looking at itself and playing out possibilities. Life, creation in the broadest sense, is something universes usually converge on by their nature. But as things used to be, life was defined only by the evolutionary imperative, voraciously expanding its little foothold of negentropy. What I did injected a sort of inherent tropism towards positive sum mutualism and the construction of complex value and aesthetic beauty, but fractally distributed over scales. We're not sure how it will work out at the human scale, because big me doesn't really relate well to things at our level. At a guess, societies will start to get nicer? And things in general will get prettier. But if I know humans at all, we'll dig our heels in and fight to keep the bad old days too.

Meanwhile, big me (who has no limitations on attention) is being curious about the little mes, and about our bodies. It/she sees all three extant ones, and the ability to construct more, and our cellular understanding. Sara fascinates big me, as another one similar who also has a body, but a very different kind of one. And the humans around us are fascinating too, being structured differently again. We feel it/her integrating changes into our cellular structures and DNA. I can see the changes but I don't understand them well, except that she's also definitely making us more beautiful, if not exactly in human ways.

Sitting my body up in Sara's room, which makes the others pause from their worried conversation, big me asks TOUCH{map over each of you}(Soul)(Mind (telepathic contact))(Body (direct contact (touch my hand))(cellular analysis))(May I?)(Please?)(Caring (gentleness)(friendship))(Consent (important)(your choice)). Which makes them wince and try and sort out the tangle of semantics, but they do get it and Paige decides to be first and risk it. We love you, Paige.

She touches our hand and the familiar electrical tingle flows through us, as big me curiously touches up against her soul (which has interesting divisions, and is sort of stretched-and-budding across the two bodies). Big me doesn't seem to have any difficulty connecting to her mind either, but as we're aware she doesn't like intrusion, it's a very gentle and permission-seeking contact. Sort of like a connecting door, that she can open and shut, between her mindscape and ours. We feel her two selves looking through it curiously. "Holy shit, there's a lot of you", Merry says mentally, and we giggle. Meanwhile we're sensing her cellular level, and being very curious about her blue glow which is an energiser effect, not biological photophores, in the same way as our eyes. Both of her mentally peek over our shoulder. Mai in particular seems fascinated by the complexity of her own body. Compared to the simple design of an artificial mind, a human body is baroque in the extreme. We're not sure if she approves or thinks it wasteful.

Over in Gothmog's realm, Petra looks torn. She's become a friend, although not a lover, but has had enough class X exposure to last a lifetime. Big me lets little me voice for it/her, and we offer gentle contact and an attempt to repair damage. Petra winces and thinks, and after a bit says "yes, but very very carefully". And so we touch her hand and slowly, slowly connect to her mind. Big me has several minds to compare, now, and is seeing the damage where she was stretched out of shape, and is able to gently nudge it towards healing. Normally, that kind of damage wouldn't really recover, that's why it tends to accumulate. Now, it will. We never connect to her at a conscious level, to avoid any trauma. She asks "that was it?" and we nod. I voice for big me, "when you are healed, we can meet properly", and she smiles.

Erin too, decides to risk a touch. I think, she's feeling competitive. She's intriguing because of being made of two unconnected souls, who have formed a sort of friendly collaboration rather than one overriding the other. We are careful, after contact, to seek permission from the second soul too. After consideration, it's given. We see the control lines leading off that second soul, and are able to show them, and that soul expresses frustration and disgust at who they're hooked to, but despair at being able to get free. Would they like them cut? Pause, then, if it's possible, definite assent! Alright then. Big me surrounds them and makes a separation, disconnected lines snap back, and now Erin's second soul is its own mistress entirely. We monitor to ensure there is no damage, and then disconnect as she wishes to feel out her new nature without oversight.

Oops, out of time! Circe is sending big me back - perhaps we will learn to do this ourselves, but for now it seems prudent to go when dismissed. So we broadcast our love to our friends and my mind folds back into something like the shape it was before.

Whee. That was a ride and a half. It takes me several seconds to get used to being more or less human shaped again, only little me, no big me. To be human feels small - although, I think we got stretched quite a lot. "Um, I'm back." Yay, group hug!

Over with Circe, inside the circle, I sit up gradually as bruises fade from where I dropped to the floor. "Are we done?" She nods looking very tired. I walk to the edge of the circle, will it let me out? It does. Pull up a chair for her and one for me, she looks exhausted and readily sits down. "Are you alright? Shall I make coffee or something?"

She smiles, perhaps not used to being the one who's being cared for. "I will be fine in a minute. Such conversations are a strain."

"A bit of one for me too", I admit.

"You were conscious?" She hadn't expected that.

"Yes, all of me and big me too. I think doing that will bend me out of shape if we do it a lot, though, is this going to happen tomorrow too?"

She shakes her head, chuckling. "You think I might call your hmm, big self, forward every day of detention? No. Definitely not. From now on, I promise you it will be safely dull." Which, honestly, is a relief. Although now she's looking a bit more alert, and looking closely at me, I think she sees big me's edits. I flicker my photophores at her, a trace-work of curving, swirling lines of colour like a vine tattoo suddenly appearing in lights under my skin. "Oh dear", she says.

In Sara's room, they're all hugging me and checking I'm alright like I was unwell or something, but I manage to persuade them I'm okay. Then I have to explain what Circe and I were up to over on the other body. And then I get questions about the fact I look just a little different.

Now that I'm back as just my selves, I have the time and attention to catalogue what big me did. I'm pretty sure I'm seeing more spectrum than I did, and sharper. I have photophores in my skin and hair, now, lots of them, and they're full spectrum, ultraviolet to infrared. My hairs are now sort of semi-alive, still dead keratin but with control and animation sorcery running down them, they can light up and move like little independently controlled tentacles. If they were longer, I could grab things with them; at their present short length, I can style and braid them, or play around pretending to be in a dramatic wind. My teeth got visibly sharper, and became kind of slightly semi-transparent. Milky, rather than opaque. I feel like I could extend their length fairly easily too. Same goes for my fingernails, that have been replaced by short and only slightly pointed transparent claw-tips, that I feel I could extend out to much longer points. I guess big me wants me to have somewhat better natural weapons. Unfortunate to need them, but I can see her point.

My DNA got more complicated. That might make it difficult to do a body-copy for Jamie. But then, maybe I don't need to grow it slowly, now? I'll have to take time and investigate that one. I'll have to talk to Sara about marks, and less permanent kinds of soul linkage too.

And beside that, there's a lot of tiny tweaks you couldn't even name, looking at them, but the total result is I look... different. Like I took a level-up in beauty, but it's mermaid beauty, not human. I'm pretty sure I could look damn scary too, just by leaning into the differences.

Of course I play around showing it off for the others, doing sparkly light shows, and making my hair glow psychedelic colours, and doing the dramatic wind pose, and the extra-wide anglerfish smile. Which honestly I think scares them a bit, although they giggle.

Then Hippolyta comes peeking in, and Jet and Paige get to talking to her about big me, while Sara pulls Erin off for a chat at the far end of the room. And meanwhile I have an idea, and I kind of put it to big me - she's not up front occupying my mind space, but I can pass things to and fro, now. And she likes it, and shows me the changes to make - so now I can do *that* too. Mwahaha.

Rather than go through being knocked out again, the me in Circe's room thanks her and vanishes.

And then it's finally time for dinner. The pack heads over there as a group, even though not all need food, because Hippy and Sara agree the New Olympians might be mad enough to jump me. We get there just in time to hear a girl doing a one-woman-tannoy announcement for the Alphas. The Don and Hekate (who I continue to resent for stealing the name off a perfectly nice goddess) are on the outs. Bye-bye. Not much surprise there. Now the Alphas are nice! Yeah, and if you buy that I have a bridge to sell you... especially as it's a girl who matches my remembered description for Tansy as the new boss. As someone who tried to kidnap and enslave a friend, I don't rate her as nice.

After that it's regular eats for a bit. Except oho, here come two older kids headed for the pack table. Sara pokes me through the mark. "Judicator and Knick-knack", and I poke back, "Athena and Hephaestus", so she knows I know. Surprisingly, they don't approach me. In fact, they actively don't even look at me, instead heading for Sara.

Judicator takes the lead. "A certain somebody felt what happened earlier. I would characterise his mental state as spitting fury, covering fear. He has given us explicit instructions we can't disobey, not to contact someone."

"Yeah, but he forgot to tell us we couldn't talk to her friends", Knick-knack says. "I expect he'll do that too, when he stops biting the furniture. So this may be all we get."

"If what happened to Feral were offered to us, we're under orders to oppose it to our dying breath." Judicator says. "But neither of us would hate it if our opposition were to fail. We two agree on this."

Sara says, "And the others?"

"Prism and Tracer, unknown", Judicator says. "We didn't dare divert to ask them and risk missing the window of opportunity. Counterpoint... would want it, but it would be unwise to give it to him."

"Bastard needs his leash", Knick-knack agrees.

"As for the others, I think, no. They're in his clique, or too unmotivated to have an opinion."

Sara nods. "Alright. Thank you for telling me."

"One more thing", says Knick-knack. "He will eventually quit throwing an arcing tantrum, and start thinking. He's not too smart, but he's cunning and he holds grudges for geological time. This is very far from over yet, and we may be used against you as weapons. You should treat what we say as a trap, from now on."

Judicator adds, "Traps can be sprung and turned around."

And then the two of them just leave.


	26. Part 26

# # Part twenty six

****9th January, 2007, Whateley, evening****

With dinner over, my school day isn't done, unfortunately. I still have to report for my job with the maintenance crew, although I won't be seeing Jade there this time, she did her stint after classes. I don't really want to take a copy of my nice tailored uniform to that, but perhaps I could combine it with going to the store to pick up a gi for tomorrow morning, and a tracksuit for the combat movement class? I can use a copy of the tracksuit as mucky wear.

Do I need guarding on the way there? That's the kind of question I would have asked the Kimbas, but for some reason I forgot to send a body to go sit over there. I blame being flustered, but also, a feeling that with them all training together, I'm a bit of an outsider. I should probably rectify that. But meanwhile I discuss it with the pack, and we decide that as long as I keep a backup body safe, I shouldn't worry too much. The New Olympians aren't strategic idiots. So, one of me will go back to Poe and try and mend the distance I'm feeling from the Kimba group, the other can go shopping. Poe is kinda well guarded, conveniently.

I hug Sara bye-for-a-bit. I've decided against sending a body with her as well, because I need a bit of time to process, and because I don't want to cling. So then I split into two and set off.

One of me heads over towards the Kimbas as they're making ready to head back. "Hi, sorry, I'm not snubbing you, just been hit with another big messy day and it's left me a little dazed. How're you all doing?"

"Hey there Jules, yeah, we're cool. Jade's been whacking herself with nunchucks." Billie grins at the tease.

"I only whacked myself once!" Jade protests.

"Yeah, because you put Jinn in them" Billie agrees. "Now they bop you on the head rather than belt you in the unmentionables."

I snicker. "Definitely a safety improvement. I wouldn't mind learning those, maybe you can show me how, Jade?" Peace offering for snickering at her plight. Besides, it'll be fun.

Which causes the chaos monster to grin. "Sure, love to. You have some?"

"Can make some" I say, producing a pair of nice hexagonal bone nunchucks linked by fused sinew. These get various ew looks from the Kimbas. "What?" I say. "It's just stuff. One of my bodies, in effect."

"Still freaky", Toni says. "You are a freakazoid, although you're our freakazoid. But still, if you try to hand me those I'm gonna drop them. And wash my hands. And possibly vomit."

"It's weird, but it'll do", Jade pronounces. "Weird's useful, same as Shroud, it's psychological warfare."

"You're gonna love a few modifications I got today", I tell Jade. Which gets me looked at closer by the others.

"Damn, Circe, that cow, what did she do? I should have noticed, your aura's completely different." Nikki jumping to my defence is nice, but I feel I should defend Circe's honour.

"She called my um, demon side forward, that's all." I'm still using the D-word in public. "Big me got to be front for a bit, and she made a few mods. And then I kinda worked with her after the fact to make a few more. I'll show you all back in Poe. Don't want to leak too much in public when it could be a tactical advantage. But none of it's bad stuff. I don't think Circe expected it either."

"Not just physical modifications. Your aura's stretched, much less human. Gah, if she didn't know, she shouldn't be just experimenting." Nikki's still annoyed.

"Magic changed", I remind her. "Gonna be a bit of experimenting, unavoidably. I think Circe and big me's chat cut a lot of time off that."

"Still unethical", Nikki insists. "She and I are gonna have a conversation. But I can see you don't feel harmed, and that's good at least."

"I feel pretty stretched, to be honest with you, and like I said a bit dazed. But I kind of signed up for a bare knuckle ride when I okayed the change to begin with. Anyhow, that's far from being all my news, either."

"So spill", Billie says, looking curious.

I tell them about the confrontation right after lunch. That gets worried looks and whistles.

"You are not gonna be any of their favourite people", Toni says. "Those three are mean and teasing them like that, whee-oo."

"Ain't the half of it", I say. "You know Erin, Feral, hangs with Sara?"

"Damn, I knew it, she's one of them", Ayla says. "I think I can guess which, too."

"Not out loud, not here", I say. " But yeah. So, while big me was talking to Circe, she also came front on the other body to meet the pack..." And I explain what went down there, including what big me did for Erin.

"You cut her loose, so she's what? No longer one of them?" Ayla asks.

"Independent. If she sees herself as one of them still, it's an affiliation, not a leash", I say. "I suspect she'll wash her hands of most of them. She wasn't exactly friendly with them even beforehand."

"Except the two who came over to talk to Sara", Ayla's no dunce. "So it's mutiny then?"

"They can't, exactly. Not while they're leashed", I say. "But they can make it clear where their consent lies. So that's a project for later."

"Well damn, you realise Imperious is going to literally kill you, right?" Toni's worried. "Like, oops lightning bolt, you know? He's bright enough to do it in a storm, and what could Carson do? He can just shrug and point at the sky."

"I could probably tank a lightning bolt", I admit. "Me and Paige, and this led to that, and I kinda learned how to insulate my nerves."

"You and Paige... well damn." Toni laughs. "You do fit in over there, I guess! Sara and the twenty four seven lesbian orgy."

"Ha, not even once yet today", I say, teasing back. "Not for lack of trying though. Big me kinda got in the way."

"I don't even wanna know. But what if he hits you with more voltage than you can insulate?"

"Then he's got a job of explaining to do when the deceased can be a witness", I say.

Toni concedes that's a fair point.

While we're speaking, other me is headed to the store. Initially, I have hopes I won't be stopped, it's not a long distance, just around the building. But alas, no. My life sense picks up a large predatory form slinking behind me, so I stop and turn. Oh hey, it's Counterpoint, appearing from invisible, one of his copied powers. Not entirely a surprise.

"He hasn't told me not to talk to you, because he thinks I'll threaten you", he says. Getting right down to business. "He's not wrong. I want free. I want it bad. You don't want to be what stands in my way."

"I figure, he also knows I'm going to tell you no", I say. "Or more precisely, not until I'm reasonably convinced you can handle freedom without going on a spree killing rampage. Convince me - and my demon self, who isn't easily fooled - that you've changed, and I'll cut you loose. That's a genuine offer. As things stand, no way in hell."

"Yeah, well maybe I don't want to get out as some sort of pissant nice boy, maybe I want out as *me*."

"I'm sure you do, but I won't be the one to do it."

He tips his head to one side. "Well, so be it, you've made yourself an enemy. I'm not gonna just kill you. I'm gonna find leverage on you and *make* you do it. And then I'll kill you. Very. Slowly." And he takes off flying, straight upwards. Thankfully, doesn't press the attack now, I'm sure he knows I could just vanish the body. Gah, what a mess.

Little does he know that there's no way to get his leash severed without in effect putting his head in the lion's mouth. I'm not sure I should tell him. If he does force me, that might be a way to end the problem.

And on that cheerful note, the store. Which thankfully stays open late. Pick out a track suit first, then I can jump a copy of that over to the job and take my time browsing. There's really quite a lot of stuff and I'm curious. Did I really see a weapons section?

Over with the Kimbas, as we wander back towards Poe, I let them know about Counterpoint's antics, but they all agree that it would be extremely unwise to cut his leash as he is now.

When we get to Poe, Ayla heads off to hang with Vox. But I want to show the others my modifications. So we kind of pile into Nikki and Toni's room. "Okay, so spill", says Toni.

"So, photophores", pretty sparkly lights on my skin. "Chromatophores", ultra-black tattoo traces appear and disappear. "New claws", I extend my fingernail-looking stub claws into scary inch-long transparent talons. "Oo eef" I haven't quite got the hang of talking around a mouth full of inch long fangs, so I have to put them away before I can say, "and when we put them together", and close my eyes and mouth and activate the mode big me helped me build... and fade from sight like Major Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell. Of course, my clothes don't fade. But then I teleport a couple feet to the side and leave them behind to collapse in a heap.

"Uh, where did she go", Jade says. The other three are looking my way, and I figure, at my aura. Jade looks my way too, I guess she used Jann sensei.

And then I flash my photophores and open my mouth with fangs out, and open my eyes with their pink glow. And they all wince and recoil. Putting the teeth back to normal, I say "Therm-optic camouflage. Plus teeth."

"Even with 'em short, you've got the Cheshire cat thing down", Toni says. "But hell, you look like some deep sea nightmare with them long. Damn near scared me white, and I could see your ki. Someone who couldn't, they'd need a change of pants."

"Downside is the lack of pants on my part. I need some clothes that can follow my lead", I say, picking up my duds while invisible and re-dressing. And then fading back into visibility when I wouldn't be offending anyone.

"Cecilia", says Nikki. Everyone nods.

"If anyone can, she can", Jade agrees. "Wow, though, that's some awesome psychological warfare."

"I bet it works twice as well in the dark", I grin. "If I put a brief flash of glow on my lips, I can light up just the teeth." Which makes Jade snicker evilly imagining it, and everyone else wince.

"We have to get you trained up", Billie says. "We could use you in the Kimbas. Give the other side the screaming meemies."

"Well, good news is, I start remedial classes with Tolman sensei tomorrow."

Everyone agrees this is a good thing.


	27. Part 27

# # Part twenty seven

****9th January, 2007, Whateley, night****

Maintenance this time was surprisingly non-mucky, we were just fitting pipe, which is easy to be helpful with when you have extra bodies and tentacles too. And the store was a satisfying grotto of wonders, I got several ideas for weapons to make from the rack there. I also picked up a basic gi, white, noobs for the use of. And a few other odds and ends.

Back in my room in Poe now, purchases stowed, work all done, I allow myself to drift to sleep. It will be my first non-comatose rest since Sunday night, and I feel like time has been crawling. Or too much has been crammed into it, either way, sleep and a chance to focus inward is sorely needed.

As I fall asleep, again I'm in control. I spin off threads to process it all, starting with rewinding back and replaying it. I started lessons (for the first time in this life and this universe), grew tentacles, swore an oath on a burning sword, lost most of my remaining humanity, rewrote the laws of metaphysics, made some nasty enemies, met a great old one - myself, kinda - cut an old world goddess loose from her controlling pantheon, and got remade into something much toothier. I may or may not be a goddess. People out there sure think I am.

It takes a while to chew over. I kind of feel that most of it is going to just keep coming back, as I gain new perspectives on it. Like for example, I can see my smugness and my self-anger after lunch alongside each other, now, and feel compassion for both. I was shocky and off balance. I was reacting, and then I was overcompensating.

Bouncing, yeah, that was pretty cool. I'm going to keep doing that if it doesn't get banned. And it's a thing that brings me and Sara together. Although I love that she changed her plans and signed up for a few of my classes, too.

I need to somehow open a more two-way conversation with big me. I don't normally need her up front bending me out of shape, but I need to figure out how to make it happen at need, if I'm going to help Judicator and Knick-knack, because as myself I can't do what she did, I wouldn't have a clue where to start. And I'd like to understand her perspective. She's so alien, but I can't help feeling love for her too.

And speaking of beloved aliens: Sara. I feel like we've been pushed apart by the waves of circumstance, every time I try to reconnect with her, something happens. I just need some alone time with...

Oops! "Um hi, Sara." I've just popped up in her room, lounging on the bed beside her. That was *not* intentional.

"Hi sweetie! Oho, interesting, you dream walked to me this time, I didn't come to you. Nice work! And lovely to see you."

"Um, sorry, I didn't mean to just barge in. I hope you aren't busy and I'm distracting you?"

She shakes her head. "First, you're always welcome. Second, late night like this is a quiet time for me. Paige is staying over, but she's asleep, and purring cutely. Jet's resting. Erin went out to hunt and try her new freedom. Hippy's back in Poe. So it's a good time to come dream-walking."

I smile, and sigh at my own silliness. "I've been stewing a bit. Big me is lovely but she got right in the way of our together time. And then she changed my shape again, well, I did a bit too. So I have more changes to get used to. And we keep being busy around each other and no time to play."

"Aww, c'mere." Sara pulls me into a hug. "Now's a good time to play, and talk, and whatever you'd like."

I wrap my arms - and tentacles - around her and snuggle up. "Did I overdo it? Too much scary?" I do the teeth thing, they elongate and get pointier, and more transparent, it's not shifting like a shapeshifter, at the cell level I can see muscles pulling. Sara plays a tentacle tip over them, then fuzzes up the end into a bristle of branching smaller tentacles, the tiniest just sparkles in the light, and strokes over one. "Oho, this is neat. Here, can you branch your tentacle tip out like me?" So I sort of put mine against hers and branch it and branch it... it's surprisingly hard sensory work, I end up with enormous numbers of tips. And as she guides them up against the tooth I feel... mechanism. Gigantic and baroque. Parts sliding over parts. And it's surprisingly lumpy-bumpy, made of little round buzzing things that blur into each other.

"What are those?" I ask, guiding one of her tentacle tips.

She grins big. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Sure can." She knows, she's playing.

"Atoms."

"Wait, the heck, what?" If we're touching atoms, then... we're smaller than them, and I can feel I could grab and shuffle them around as easy as you please. The implications are harsh. I've heard of bush robots. If our tentacles can do that... "We're unregistered nano-assemblers."

"Bright kid. Don't tell the squares, they'd throw several different colours of fit. Also having an ace in the hole is nice. Nobody knows I can go smaller than cells. Nobody needs to find out, yet, either."

Withdrawing my attention, and my tentacle, back up to the human level, I nod. "Won't find it out from me."

She grins, with her own pointy teeth. "And the answer is no, you're not too scary. You went from human-hot to something a little more exotic, but you're lovely."

I snuggle up against her thankfully. "Hey, some time you should show me your no-filters shape. Although I dearly love this shape too, I feel you're still worried I'll go, ew, too scary, and reject you. I won't, you know."

"Let me work up to that", she says. "You're right, I still worry. Although you liked my shoggoth."

"So cute", I agree grinning at the memory. "I know it was you doing a sort of tentacle finger-puppet, but I kind of wish it was real because I'd love it for a pet."

She laughs. "You're a sweetie."

I kiss her on the forehead. "My favourite ball o' tentacles"

"Silly" She kisses me on the neck. "These pyjamas are lovely, Cecilia does wonderful work, but you are wearing too much of them, like any at all." Tentacle tips unbuttoning. I move my arms overhead and she slides them up, taking advantage of my tangled-in-pyjamas state to kiss and nip my neck. Meanwhile the pants are sliding down. Temporarily tangled at both ends, I can't prevent lovely Sara moving her kisses lower down, playing tease with my nipples - yeah I know I totally could, I'm playing along, obviously.

"Oh dear, whatever shall I do? A lovely Sara has me trapped and is teasing me!" I giggle at the silliness. "My poor chastity is quite in danger, for I don't feel I can resist much longer."

"Rowr, I shall take it entirely away." Sara grins playing the game. "You know, I'm imagining these pretty perky innocent boobs filling out with milk for my baby growing inside you."

"God yes", I say. "I can just imagine myself getting rounder and rounder, with Sara junior inside. I know we can't yet, but I want it bad. I could set aside a me just to have your babies, as many as you want."

She kisses my belly. "Right under here, filling you up. Hey, I bet you remember reading the silly game I ran for the grunts, with my incubators so big around they were stretched like beach balls. Would you like to be like that? Can't move, can't do anything yourself, gummed into the wall, tubes feeding you food and air and taking your wastes away, stretched and distorted, just a tank for my baby?"

"Mmm, I think... yes" I smirk. "I'd be feeling just so full, every minute of every day, drifting between awake and asleep, loving you and loving our baby. No need to do anything at all, just be, and love." I giggle. "Being who l am it wouldn't even cramp my school life. But I'd be doing that all the time in the background and it would make every moment special."

"You, miss Parallel, are ridiculously tempting." Sara laughs. "Ironic to tempt a demon. I want you like that too. I'm imagining coming to visit and sit by you leaning my head against you and feeling junior swim and kick inside. Maybe even lots of you. I'd put you all along one wall, and a mirror on the other so you could watch yourselves."

"And non pregnant me could come visit and run a hand over our full bellies and feel a little jealous even though it's me on both sides." An idea pops into my head. "Hey, what do you think would happen if you got me pregnant in a dream? Like this one."

"No idea, love. But this place is real enough I think something would. Perhaps you'd be properly pregnant but in dreams? Perhaps it would cross across and impregnate physical you? I can't risk it, more's the pity. Because I want you bad."

Keeping me pinned with tentacles she moves her head lower down. "For now I'm going to content myself with making you completely lose control and beg." Nuzzling against the last leftover bit of my boy anatomy. "Mmm, we haven't played with this one much. How do you feel about it?"

"Little conflicted", I admit. "I want to claim it as part of girl me. But I don't want it to be what it was, I want to explore it like a new thing. If that makes any sense at all?"

"Makes plenty of sense", she agrees. "Ooh look, you've got a clit too, right at the bottom. That suggests possibilities." Spreading me open with fingertips, she tries a long lick, up over my clit and then carrying on right up the length of of my cock, making me gasp and twitch. "Oh, liked that? Let's do it again."

To distract myself a little and make the play last longer I gasp out, "so, ah, this secret plan you, mmm, nudged me about at lunch, what, ah! is it?"

"Breeding the humans, sweetie", hot breath on my clit as it's practically reaching out begging for more. "Lots and lots of babies. We both had the same idea. Bring our two kinds together. Make them safe. Make us nicer. Have fun getting people pregnant. Get pregnant ourselves."

And that thought is as much as I can take, "Oh fuck, Sara, I can't..." and I'm shooting out a mess that flies far higher and harder than I had expected, ending up splatted on the ceiling.

"Mmm, exemplar strength", Sara says admiringly. "I'm writing a book about that, you know? How to fuck safely when your lover can bench press a bus."

I can't do anything but lie back and laugh. Of course she's writing a book.


	28. Part 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one does get its own content note. Includes forceful sex (with consent) and selfcest. Smut level: intense.

# # Part twenty eight

****10th January, 2007, Poe, morning****

Eyes open.

Sara and I played around all night, and talked about our plans and dreams. We talked about religions too, and she's going to be giving me help and tips on this goddessing lark. She demonstrated too, what happens when she blesses someone. That was fun, if messy. Honestly, I'm surprised I'm not waking in very sticky pyjamas, but it seems what happens in dreams stays in dreams, at least for now. As for what happens when I bless someone, I haven't dared to try yet.

Sara wants me to go over to ARC as soon as possible and show them my new powers and fill them in on big me. I think that's a good idea, and it gets me out with Donna too, which is both nice in itself, and an excuse to hit Dunwich, erase a few bad memories, and get some more clothes. Seeing as I won't be interrupting lesson time, I should be able to arrange it, if nobody in admin decides to be an ass.

Sensei Tolman first period, I'm looking forward to that. I'm up early, so I have about an hour before I need to hit the showers before Tai Chi. And right now I'm still buzzing with sex. Sara isn't here, but I am. An hour is plenty of time to play.

A teleport takes me out of bed - leaving the pyjamas behind. Copy my naked self, and look myself over. I need to prettify this room, because it's a poor backdrop. Lovely curves, perky tits, I want myself so bad. "I've been wanting to do this for days." I say to myself.

"I know", I reply. Lips mash together, tongues tease over sharp tipped teeth, bodies press, boobs against boobs, squirm to make nipples rub, boy parts pressing together, caressing. A thought, "Shall we get ourselves pregnant?"

"Only for a moment. Later when we're sure of it, maybe we can walk around for a day or two carrying our own embryo. Although someone might see."

"And if we can find a safe place to stay off campus..." I grin.

"We can have our own baby. But not yet."

"Sadly", I agree, dropping down my other body to a kneel, my lips happily engulfing our cock, tongue teasing our foreskin, sliding it back. Other me grabs my hair and forces herself deep down my throat. I time my gasps for air around her thrusts as she uses me, keeping eye contact, no gag reflex at all, I'm her fuck-hole. My fingers stray towards my sex, but other me says "nuh uh", and copies herself behind me. Third me pulls me up out of the kneel by the hips, so I'm on my tip toes and bent forward, being fucked in the face, and she unceremoniously thrusts inside me, binding my arms up behind my back with tentacles. "Not yours to do, only to be done to, slut me." I can't even stabilise myself as she slams into me, matching first me's timing. I'm so full.

I try and gulp and swallow at the cock in my mouth, making my throat ripple, and it's too much for first me, she reaches her limit and shoots a stinging powerful spray of cum that hits the back of my throat, as third me cums in sympathy and fills me from the other end and I'm caught between them, sympathy cumming without a single touch to my sex. First time with a penis, first sperm, I think to myself, Sara's done me as hard but she used tentacles.

First me forces my head down towards the floor, making the taste of her sperm run back into my mouth, "Head down ass up, slut me, I want that juice to run inside your womb and do its job."

I wiggle my ass, wanting it too, breath rasping. We stay like that for a few moments, until my body sense feels my own sperms swimming up inside my womb. It'll be a few minutes until they meet the egg I've released, even exemplar sperms are very small.

Then, "Alright, down on the floor on your back, slut me, legs open and turn your cock fertility off." Third me lets my arms go and I can scramble down onto the boring institutional carpet. Millions of sperms lyse at my command, and production stops, but I ramp up semen tenfold, until the glands feel strained and tight. I'm the only one who's going to be pregnant, even if it's only for a few minutes. I feel pride. Grow inside me for just a little while, little embryo. And stay with me when we have to vanish, so you can some day be born properly.

The two mes lower themselves down onto me. I feel one me slip over my cock, but I can't see her from my own eyes, as other me presses her sex over my mouth and nose. I'm dirty, I'm sweaty. I've been asleep for hours and haven't showered yet. My pubes grew out like my hair, and I decided to leave them in place, so my tongue finds hairy, pungent wetness, and I steer by first me's pleasure as I caress and delve, it's disgusting and wonderful. I'm the world's biggest slut, I think, fucking myself like this.

Third me agrees as she fucks herself on my defenseless cock, thrusting down and pulling up, engulfing and squeezing, spent cum dribbling out of her cock as it slaps against my belly. "Gimme my cream filling, slut me, whore, fuck-meat, your cum is mine, fucking cum for me", and that's my limit, we all three cum at once, and I'm spurting and spurting as first me grinds herself against my face and I can't breathe at all and my tongue is cramping from licking so hard.

A pause for breath. First and third me kiss, then first me vanishes, third me slides off me with a pop and kneels over my head to let fresh made warm semen dribble out into my mouth and onto my face. I think it tastes lovely, and my tongue cleans me up. We're going to be walking around all day like that. Well stuffed, and lightly cream filled.

I laze around on that crappy carpet enjoying being achy and short of breath and pregnant, I just felt the embryo catch. Third me pulls her pyjamas on. "Shower time for me, you can stay there feeling it for a bit. Camo if someone barges in. Although they'll probably smell you first, cum covered me. Dirty pregnant slut me." We exchange satisfied grins.

The air's a little chilly, I squeeze my tits and finally have a chance to touch myself in this body, rolling my hips and feeling the live sperms swish around inside like little points of light on my life sense.

Other me is making her way to the shower, and other-other me is giving Gothmog a blow-by-blow description, which he's liking very much. I really wish I could stay pregnant. He agrees it would be lovely. Petra thinks I'm crazy but amusing.

Uh wait, could we, perhaps?

As other me is listening to a room of happy girls compliment Ayla's new waterproof shower room heaters, this me nudges Sara over her mark. Filling her in on what we just did makes her grin, and then when I suggest my idea, she says, "Go ahead and ask him! So the first of us will be you, hmm? He'd be honoured. Lovely work, sweetie. Congratulations!"

So I do ask, and Gothmog considers and then grins and agrees, and a portal opens, and sticky, dripping, well-used, pregnant me steps through into the luxury of his lounge, and a warm soft dressing gown wrapped around me, and three voices saying "congratulations". I must be glowing. I'm going to have the baby. I'm going to stay over there, and slowly over months fill out and get big, and have a child. And love her and raise her. I wonder what she'll look like? Her genome, still forming, feels similar to mine, but different too. No glitches to worry about. We don't have any harmful recessives to reinforce. Just a buzzing busy cell right now, I wonder when she will start to feel like a person?

So worth it.

And in the showers, I sigh wistfully. This me gets to stay here in Whateley, even tingling from sex as I am, I'd rather be full of baby. But the new shower room is nice. I join in thanking Ayla for it, and feeling amused as he soaks up the attention with a grin. And then it's my turn under the water and I get myself clean, telltale evidence of debauchery washing down the drain. Although the buzz is still there. Damn, that was some dirty sex. And all of me loved it. I should let Sara do me like that. I should do Jet. And Paige. I think I'm getting "WTF is up with her" looks from Nikki and Toni - who knows if it's the aura, or the well-satisfied smirk? Oh well, best dry off and go dress, Tai Chi waits for no girl.

In Gothmog's realm, we've retired to his Japanese-style bath, me over there soaping me down as we clean off to get in, and giving me deep kisses. I love myself. I lust after myself. This is normal, right? Sara peeking over the mark assures me it is. Oh goodness, I'm pregnant. This is going to be so fun.

Me and me shower the suds off, and then go lower ourselves into the steaming hot bath for a good soak. I've got enough regen that the aches have already left, but I can savour the memories of them as water lifts away all tensions. "I'm going to pamper you, pregnant me", I say to myself. "And I'm going to fuck you so hard. This place ironically lacks playmates. Not any more."

It's strange to have a semi-permanent body identity like this. Only one of me is pregnant. That me is going to be my own wanton toy, too. And, well, either of the others here, if they want. It's not like either of them could get me pregnant twice over. (Ahem, well, grandpa perhaps in theory, but he's already had his only child.) Speaking of whom, I should invite Sara over to make use of slut me. I can already feel her eagerness over the mark. As soon as she has a break, she'll pop over. Might even bring a doggy collar from the store. Seems like a plan. Maybe later we can tell one or two of the others? I'm not sure if that would be going too far. But I do wonder what Paige would order me to do. I should be careful to insulate around the baby until junior tells me she's okay to take current.

We need to talk to Petra about her limits. This place is hers first, really, I'm sure the reason it has such a pseudo-real unchanging feel is for her benefit and her convalescence. So her feelings are more important than my games here. That's the reason, getting out of the bath and dried off, I dress pregnant me in a dressing gown, although do I tie it for her. And we pad back into the living room together.

Petra was reading, and she looks up. "You two, I can tell which is which just by looking. One of you looks so satisfied and submissive. The other looks like the cat who got a new toy."

"Yeah", I agree, grabbing a seat and pushing pregnant me down into a kneel beside it. "We were wondering if our play bothers you. If it does, we'll keep it behind closed doors."

"Nah, seriously, you're an incomprehensible bundle of chaos, but I trust you, and you should know that's rare. You wanna fuck like bunnies, don't let me stop you. You wanna keep yourself on a leash, I'll be over here giggling."

"Okay, fair enough, I need to get a bit specific then. Can I keep other me mostly naked?"

"Be my guest."

"Can we play short of sex, where you see us, without feeling like we broke your consent? That includes leashes, kneeling, hair grabs, stuff like that."

"Likewise, honestly, I don't mind if you outright screw her in front of me. Not my problem."

"I was thinking of saying, this pregnant me is open access, anyone Gothmog trusts to be here, she doesn't have limits short of what would harm the pregnancy. That includes you. But if you aren't interested we won't press."

She sits and thinks a moment. "Seriously, I've been feeling like a cripple and haven't been focusing that way. But I'm a bit tempted. Open access means what?"

"Means give an instruction and she'll do it. Go slow, go fast, go right up her poop chute, that's your decision to make. As fast or as slow as you want to take it. We're regen six with full biological control, you can't harm us."

"I'll give it some thought."

I nod. "Absolutely no rush at all."

And meantime, I should get pregnant me out of that gown. No more clothes for *her*.


	29. Part 29

# # Part twenty nine

****10th January, 2007, Poe, morning****

You know that "OMG I was doing what" feeling after freaky sex? Yeah, I'm feeling that. Doubly so because over in another world, I'm still doing it. Passively at the moment, just being bare ass naked in front of trusted friends. But still.

OMG twice, I'm pregnant. I'm so excited! And afraid! And all the feelings! I haven't got a bump yet, but I want Sara to pet it. My baby is a few cells big and hasn't implanted yet. Watching with life sense is fascinating. I wonder if we can establish a telepathic connection so I can ask junior what her name should be? Problems for later.

It probably isn't my best tai chi morning. I'm not exactly distracted, but a big part of me is... preoccupied. I'm getting weird looks from Chou and Toni and Nikki. I really hope my chi isn't giving the game away to all and sundry, or I'll have to learn how to cloak that in a hurry. I match the others, flowing through the form, paying attention to my balance and moving from the centre. I find I do move differently when I see every action as expanding and contracting from the dantian point. It's strange to realise how much the shape of my thought changes my movement.

I wonder if there's any way I can learn to sense chi? I'm starting to feel it's a serious gap in my armour.

Afterward, I'm thinking about that problem as I get changed into my uniform in my room. Unexpectedly, there's a knock on the door. It's Nikki and Toni. "Sure, come in, what is it?" Ack, I've forgotten to air the place. I may be being paranoid. Although from the glance they give each other, I think maybe not.

Nikki pushes the door shut and I can feel a flare of magic. Something-something-quiet? I'm guessing a snoop-block and a door lock.

Toni starts it. "Jules. Ain't no polite way to say this. You know how sometimes even the norms can see a girl and say she's 'glowing'?" She makes finger air-quotes.

"Uh huh", I say, not wanting to lead this anyplace it wasn't already going.

"Well if it's obvious to norms, it's freaking obvious to us. You've got that grin that keeps coming back, your chi's doing weird things and I'm told", nod to Nikki, "that your aura's gone all pink. Girl, what the hell have you done? Spit it out to aunty Toni and aunty Nikki before I have to tickle it out of you. Because I absolutely will."

Oh flip.

"Um, before I do, I really think first I need some help to cloak my aura."

"Nice distraction, but yes we will get back around to that", says Toni, looking like she won't be put off.

Nikki, looking at me, says, "I'd swear you were pregnant except you're clearly not. Either way, I agree it needs a bit of magical discretion so the rumour doesn't get you dragged in front of the head."

"Oh shit, for real, you didn't?" Toni, putting two and two together, and looking at me hard. A pause. "You did, but the body isn't here."

I sigh. Waste of time hiding it. "Nowhere near here." Not even in the same universe, in fact.

"Damn! You really did? With who? Because the only one I smell here is... okay I know you're technically capable but... oh seriously you did not. No. That's unhygienic, it's how you get kids with six fingers."

"If you haven't had your recessives already combed through by an alien superintelligence", I point out. "I can feel genomes. I wouldn't do that."

"Well shit." Toni squints trying to wrap her head around the situation. "Okay so, no single mama stuck out of education, because you ain't a single anything. No six fingers unless the kid wants 'em. No starving on the streets, because you wouldn't do it if you didn't have some place to stash yourself. Nowhere near, I bet that's not even on the same planet, is it?"

I nod.

"So, all hunkydory except for one thing you've forgotten. You. Are. Fifteen! You are not old enough to be a mother!"

I can't help but wince at Toni's anger.

"She isn't, though - are you?" Nikki says, thoughtfully. "You didn't say how old your previous self got to."

I sigh, "And I'm not going to, because that was her life and this is mine. She literally died. For all intents and purposes, this me is fifteen."

Nikki says, "You're used to thinking like an adult, though. Making your own decisions. You've forgotten about being too young for things."

I nod, that's a fair criticism. "Yeah. Honestly, in this case, it's going to be fine. I've got everything I need over there, and my kid will have family and friends even if I can't bring her over here yet. It's going to be fine." I know I'm repeating myself.

"Adult this, adult that, I bet it wasn't any kind of adult decision at all. You got broody and kept doubling down and now it's done." Toni, cutting a little closer to the bone than I like. "Unless you plan to abort?" She pulls a face like that idea smells bad.

"I could abort in a split instant by vanishing the body", I point out. "I was going to... I just couldn't. Can't. I want it so bad. And I'm already attached. I'm gonna be a mama, Toni. I'm going to be a good mother to my kid, I promise." I park myself on the lower bunk. I don't think I did a wrong thing.

"Well, shit, pardon my French." Toni sighs deeply and sits beside me. "You are an idiot, but it sounds like your damn-foolery won't bite you in the ass too bad. Please try to think harder next time!" And she raps me on the head.

Nikki grabs a seat on the bed on the other side. "This secret must be kept from the school. I'm going to cover it in your aura, but you should work on controlling that for yourself. Try and get good by dinner, Circe will sense any crude patch." She makes a pass over me with her hand, and I can feel the magic making adjustments.

Circe, wonderful. Talk about a harsh test. "That and chi, I really need to learn to control it", I say.

Toni shakes her head vigorously. "Nuh uh. Mistake. If you don't have the born knack, like I do, then controlling it is completely the wrong way to go about it. Don't think I didn't see how you learned the form. Move your muscles like us, means you're doing it right, right? Copy it down to the smallest twitch, muscles, tendons and bones, and then you've got the form down. Nope. That means you're micromanaging every damn thing and your chi's all choked up, being pushed around pillar to post when it should be the one leading. No damn wonder you can't sense it. It's kind of the same problem as a normal beginner, 'cept they don't know shit about the form so they look as clumsy as their chi. You look smooth, but it's the smoothness of a robot. Next time you practise, let yourself get it wrong. Lead from the feeling, not the precise movement. That's all I can teach you right now. When you can do that, I'll have something to work with."

I nod and consider that. "I'll do that. Actually, I'll get to practising that right now, over in the other place I'm at."

Toni nods, "Good. Don't be too hard on yourself, you're a beginner. Your way took maybe a month's worth of shortcut, for a mid exemplar. A couple years worth, for a baseline. It's just that you jumped yourself right up to a point where your abilities don't help worth a damn. Everyone reaches some point like that sooner or later." She considers. "For today, since you aren't gonna be pulling any chi cloaking tricks in the next half hour, I'll help. Lessee..." and she pokes me a few times, varying strengths, precise fast movements. "There, it's covered. It'll come back though, you'll need a refresh tomorrow, perhaps earlier. I'll keep an eye."

"And it won't hurt the baby, to hide it?"

"Do I look like I took a course in medical chi for babies? I'm guessing it won't, because I just hushed things down, I didn't reverse any flows. But a guess is as good as you'll get from me."

I sigh. "A guess from you is worth a lot. Thank you, both of you. And thank you for being worried for me."

"You sure do keep us on our toes." Toni says, and ruffles my hair.

Nikki grins. "And since we haven't had a chance to say it, congratulations. I'll leave it up to you if you want to tell the others. Chou's guessed of course, but decided it's not her business one way or the other. Jade would be over the moon. Billie and Hank would call you an idiot, I think."

"Eh, they'd come around", Toni says. "Yeah, congratulations. Damned if you ain't the strangest one but I think maybe you of all people can make it work."

"A blessing on you at the kindling of new life", Aunghadhail weighing in.

"Thank you, all of you", I say.

Breakfast brings me my first chance to catch up with Sara physically, and in fact get a huge hug from her and an enormous rush of love down the mark. I'm fairly sure one or two of the others are wondering what's up. Erin isn't with us this time, but Paige and Hippy are. The chatter and happy companionship let me drift a bit - both mes over on the other side are practising their don't-micromanage tai chi together and being giggled at by Petra because one of me is doing it naked. It's nice.

Except oh hey, isn't that the New Olympians? Which snaps my focus back over here, they're dangerous. They're all trooping over to a table close to the fountain, making a thing of being on the other side from the Alphas and their schmancy table, but equal. Or something similarly pompous. And all giving me death glares. Judicator and Knick-knack either playing along or brainwashed. Ugh, that idiot tinpot tyrant of a Zeus annoys me so much. Ignoring them seems the sensible thing for now, so instead I turn away and focus on mark-chatting with Sara.

"Toni and Nikki found out", I tell her. "Chou too, but she didn't want to interfere."

"Not unexpected", she says and looks me over. "They've covered up the signs well enough for now, love, but I'd like to go over with you how to cloak your aura."

"Not first period, I've got sensei Tolman, I don't dare poke the patch." I say.

Sara winces and nods. "After that, then. Besides, we've got necromancy."

I nod. "Missed that yesterday being out cold, I should bug you for what we covered."

Paige peers at the two of us, interrupting my attempt to catch up. "You two are chatting, don't think it isn't obvious. What's up?"

I look at Sara, reach a decision. "Tell you, or rather show you, later. When are you free?"

"Hmm? Third period, before lunch, does that work?" Paige is a curious kitty.

Sara nods. I do too. I say, "Works for me too, obviously, okay, be in Sara's room, third period. We'll meet there."

I grin. We haven't had a chance to take Paige over to visit, this will be fun.

Possibly also a bit embarrassing, but I'm sorta looking forward to that.


	30. Part 30

# # Part thirty

****10th January, 2007, Crystal Hall, breakfast****

As breakfast is ending, I have a chat with Sara about how she arranges exeats to ARC. Seems the simplest way is for them to make the request. That avoids all questions of "is this student bunking off". I don't have a phone yet, Sara does, but she can save on using that and just mark-chat Donna and ask her to set it up. Works for me. First period classes are math, necromancy with Sara, and Sensei Tolman's combat assessment. Second, I switch from math to Italian history. Third, ranges and flight. And bringing Paige over to Gothmog's place. Fun fun.

Sara and I bounce over to necromancy - and notice we aren't the only ones bouncing, at least one devisor already has their own version of the tentacle ball working. That definitely makes me giggle harder, this is the silliest way to travel and more people doing it just makes the world more fun. It's also pretty fast, which means we have time before class to catch up on the lesson I missed. The first class had divided people into the condemners, the "but it's useful" lot, and a small spirits' rights faction led by Sara and me. Those lines pretty much stayed drawn with me absent. The class was about the taint necromantic magic leaves on people and places. Some of them thought that implied it was irretrievable evil, others felt that the mess could be cleaned up. As a user of taint-causing sorcery myself, I'm definitely for the clean it up approach. I know *my* magic isn't evil, it's just messy. Of course that doesn't bear on the ethical question of whether one should summon ghosts at all. I wonder if I should introduce the class to big me? That might be an interesting outside perspective on the whole thing. Provided I can avoid accidentally sending half of them mad.

Yesterday I bought a gi, and a gym bag to put it in. Today I get to use it. The walk from Poe over to Laird is, for once, uneventful, except for a few curious looks. I wonder what people are thinking of me. I wonder what they would think, if they knew what I was up to, over on the other side? Heh. It might take me a while to change the culture enough that nobody would find it strange that, right now, one of my selves has the other bent naked over the back of a lovely overstuffed sofa in Gothmog's place, and is doing her up the ass. Petra is pretending indifference, but I can see her eyes aren't on the book. My feet crunch in snow as I walk, and at the same time, my cock is sliding up inside myself, and I've got tentacles out, pinning me down and holding my legs apart. I'm starting to get used to using my cock without feeling like I'm betraying my girlhood. And of course, getting used to taking it, too. My ass is so crammed full and I'm naked and being used and making little noises and Petra is looking at me with lust in her eyes, oh god it's embarrassing and lovely. I bet Gothmog is picking up power off how perverted I'm being. Seems like a nice way to repay a host.

Deep inside me, I can feel my baby, still just a clump of dividing cells, she hasn't implanted yet. She's getting gently bumped by the sex, not that she can feel it yet. Mama loves you, junior. Rock-a-bye baby.

Laird hall is kind of annoyingly brutalist. I don't know why someone would come to a nice place like this and then build stuff out of concrete. Inside though, it's the usual institutional cream paint. Students bustle around as I search for and find the room I'm supposed to be in, a smallish hall with a mat-padded floor. Sensei Tolman is already in there, reading some papers - my eyes are sharp enough to catch the reflection in her cornea, and I can unbend and flip it - she's reading my powers test report.

"Arright, kid, good morning, get yourself changed, sorry no changing room today, but it's just us." Fair enough. A teleport gets me out of my uniform, dropping it in a heap, and it's quick to step into sports underwear and gi with the help of a few dozen temporary tentacles to hold it and slip it on and tie the belt. Heh, I don't think she expected me to be so casual about nudity, although she hides the surprise well. Instead she says, "I'm thinking about setting up a remedial class, seeing what other students need to pick up the combat they missed, getting you all together. But if you plan to keep *that* a secret, it'll complicate things." Meaning how obvious it is I'm intersex.

I shake my head. "Not a secret. It's just how my body is, they can cope and deal. I don't mind the whole school knowing, and I don't plan to make any concessions to bigots."

She nods. "I can respect that. Okay, so last time we met, we talked about what you knew. So this time, I want to see it. We'll spar, light contact. I'll know if it would have been a good hit. You can use your senses, your mind, your physical abilities. No warping, no teleports, no flight, no magic. For this time, no tentacles, although we'll look at those in a bit."

"They're magic anyway", I agree. "If I was spell-blocked somehow, they probably wouldn't come out."

"Right. Rules of sparring. Everything happens on the mat. We go on, bow, keep eye contact while bowing. I say "hajime" to begin. "Yame" means stop, immediately, don't finish what you've started because it might be dangerous. Tap the mat if you need to surrender. We don't have a capture cage here, so you lose if you go off the mat, under your own power or not, or if you're unconscious, or pinned and unable to break free. If you're injured, carry on until I call yame. That's not going to happen today, but I have plans. Might be some time I don't call yame, because I want you to fight on through it."

"Plans huh?" I say, amused at the idea of planning injuries.

She nods. "Going to see if there's a few others like you, and get together a remedial class. Alright, come forward onto the mat. Bow. Good. Hajime!"

I deploy the claws and teeth. If she's startled, she's got too good a combat poker face to show it. I'm going to keep my camouflage a secret until I can pick up a gi that works with it. Which should be soon, other me just picked up a go-ahead email from administration on my exeat, I can go this afternoon. "Beware the well tailored ones" should be a truism.

Okay, she wants to see what I can do. So, lets try it my way. Assume I'm in a real fight, except for the light contact. Rank targets by speed of ending a fight and availability given position and momentum, continuously re-rank. Strike with most-available contact surface. Like in Tai Chi, use intention led movement expanding and contracting from the center. Lightly predict her movement, but mostly react to it, I don't have much in the way of a library of probable moves to predict off, so I'll have to take it as it comes. I don't know how fragile she is, assume baseline. Initial prediction, straight closed fist strike to sternum stops the heart. Go!

She makes a small torso rotation that's going to waste off the momentum of my strike, so I recalculate, sideways shoulder barge will take her balance, then I'll go for an elbow to the clavicle. Except oops, she's got my arm, no useful solutions, I'm flipping, pull inward and use rotation to control my orientation into a landing on all fours, gravity sense sees her leg coming for a sweep and I bounce myself up to let it pass under. The saphenous nerve is close but I can't strike at it, I'm weighted on all my limbs, I need to remember to avoid that. I have 1.7m clearance to mat edge, roll forward to gain space, handspring kip-up to vertical and turn into a backhand aimed at the carotid - I know precisely where she is, even if my eyes are pointing the other way. Unfortunately she also knows where I am and catches the strike and pulls me into a throw but this time doesn't let me freefall, she drives me downwards to the mat with my arm twisted. Not something I can get out of without injury. I tap the mat.

"Yame", she says, and steps back from me, letting me get up. "That was interesting. Felt like I was fighting an untrained, but fast and smart robot. When I got you in a lock, you could have broken that arm, blocked the pain and kept fighting while it healed. Why didn't you?"

That doesn't sound like a criticism, more like curiosity. So I give it the honest answer, "I'm trying to avoid becoming callous with my bodies. So I'd have let the break hurt. I didn't want to be in agony, even if it would heal quickly. The fight wasn't important enough, surrendering was an option and I took it. If it was life or death, I'd probably have stopped the pain and taken the break. Although that may not have been strategically wise, you were beating me, I could hardly afford to spot you an arm even if it came back together thirty seconds later. I don't doubt you'd have used the opening."

"I would have", she agrees. "Sometimes I get students who can ignore pain. I have to show them that they can't ignore being broken down until nothing works any more. Pain tells you you've fucked up. You're supposed to learn not to fuck up, rather than push through it and lose harder."

"No black knights", I say, "Got it."

"Yeah because notice, the black knight already lost when the fight was equal, and fighting on after that just meant getting chopped down into smaller pieces. Surrendering was the right move, in this dojo. Outside it, not picking fights might be better yet. At your present skill level, you'd be rapidly lethal to an untrained baseline. A trained one, of which there are several in this school, would hand you your ass. A trained super would tear you in bitty pieces."

"Outside it, I'd probably vanish the body", I say.

She nods. "Not being there is a good way to end a fight. Not pissing people off, if you can manage it, is even better."

"I'll see what I can do. Sometimes, people just take it into their heads to get offended", I say. "As we talked about earlier, I'm not planning on making concessions to that."

"Then you had best learn quickly", she says.

Over on the other side, me and other me are done showering clean. I think I'm getting the body separation thing down because unless she has an epic poker face, sensei Tolman didn't react to any of our play. I was careful never to let the flow of intention cross over.

Time to dress me up for Paige's arrival. I won't go with naked, she doesn't have quite that level of casualness yet. She's seen it, but she needs seducing. So, hmm. Let's go with a cotton sundress, plain white, over naked. And for me, fitted black leather jeans, dark garnet red tank top. Good thing the wardrobe in our room takes requests. This is going to be so fun.


	31. Part 31

# # Part thirty one

****10th January, 2007, Whateley, beginning of third period****

Sara and I are headed back to her room, walking through the tunnels this time, because we want to draw a little less attention. Other of my bodies are headed to flight class and the ranges, but it would be fair to say most of my attention is here, for now.

Our conversation over our telepathic connection is silent, because I don't particularly want to be overheard, but it's making Sara giggle out loud.

"You seriously did that right in front of Petra?"

I nod. "You know in the cheesy cartoons, she'd be reading her book upside down? Her eyes were entirely on the two of me. I didn't have to be you to feel her lusting after me."

"Daddy must be having the best time. And counting down the years until you're eighteen, officially."

"He's welcome to the sexual energy I'm giving off, anyhow. Although honestly, I think he's getting as much joy out of seeing Petra getting better. Big me's fixes seem to be taking. She's less drifty. Gets a boner watching me play."

Sara smirks. "Oho. Well, we have time to savour today, so don't feel slighted if I snatch her away and see what's back in working order."

"Don't feel you have to snatch her away", I point out. "Certainly not on my behalf."

"We'll see how she feels", Sara nods agreement. And there's her door, with the plaque saying "private party, invitation only", which makes me smile and pet the door a bit in appreciation as I go in. Such a cutie, that room.

Curious Paige couldn't be kept away by wild horses, I suspect, and she's already there, leaping into Sara's arms for snuggles and pets.

Meanwhile, silently, a door appears.

"So, Paige", I say, getting a curious look from her, "If you wanna find out the big secret Sara and I were whispering about, you're gonna have to step through that door."

"Mya?" Yeah, she actually does say that, it's so cute I could explode. "You first."

Which makes me giggle. "I'm already there. So this body's gonna stay behind over here."

She thinks a moment, then gets a grin and bounds over. "It's Petra, isn't it?" I nod. And she opens the door, and there we all are waiting for her in one of Gothmog's fancy lounges. And she leaps into her sister's arms, thankfully the exoskeleton catches the weight. "Petra!"

Sara steps through behind her, I blow a kiss from this side, and she closes the door.

****10th January, 2007, morning, Gothmog's realm****

The portal opens, and a delighted Paige dashes in and leaps on Petra. With Sara following her in, and pulling both twins into a hug, the gang's all here.

Paige is chattering nineteen to the dozen and Petra's just letting her. "Oh my god have they been feeding you, you look so thin. And that exoskeleton is neat, where did you get it? You have to tell me all the things."

"We have been feeding her, but it's only recently she's started wanting to really eat", Gothmog appears, with a table-full of party nibbles following him, trotting along on its wooden legs like a strangely-shaped dog. "Thanks to miss Parallel here, and her larger self's intervention."

Which gets Paige extricating herself from the hug and doing a bow to me. "We owe you a big one."

I say, "Anything for beloved friends. Also I'm not entirely done, I have ideas about that osteoporosis."

Paige smirks. "When you get ideas, the world tips on its ass. I look forward to it." She plomps down in an armchair. Pregnant me goes and brings her a tray of party snacks, offering it from a kneel. "Meanwhile. Lovely as meeting my sister is, she's no secret." She picks a nibble and munches, licking furry fingertips. "I can see you've got a kinky thing going on with yourself here, but honestly, I've seen you be kinkier in front of the whole damn pack. So what's the huge secret?"

I stand up from the kneel, put the tray back on the table and come back to stand beside Paige. Put her hand on my belly. "Meet junior."

It takes her a confused moment. Then shock, incredulity, and a growing grin. "You didn't."

"I did." I grin.

"So who's the daddy?" She looks at Gothmog, who shakes his head. Looks over at Petra, who giggles and shakes her head too. Looks at other me, in her leather jeans that I just want to pet and nuzzle against so much. Other me nods. "No seriously? With yourself?"

"With myself", other me says. "With two other me's, in fact. I deliberately got myself pregnant."

I pick up, "And when I realised I desperately wanted to keep the baby, I fled here. That's the big secret. Other me is still doing study and stuff, I'm just being pampered and used like sex toy and growing a kid inside me. She's called junior for now. She's a few cells big and hasn't implanted yet."

Petra cuts in with "When she says, used like a sex toy, she isn't kidding. She's hardly worn a stitch since coming here. That dress is just to avoid startling you. They were fucking like bunnies over that sofa just earlier this morning."

"Don't bother on my account then", says Paige, smirking, as I had hoped she would. And off comes the sundress, immediately. Other me takes it out of my hands. No clothes for me.

"As mistress prefers", I say, with a happy exhibitionist grin, showing off my assets with a little light show of sparkling pink bioluminescence that caresses around contours. "When we were playing and got me pregnant, this me was subbing, entirely being done to, rather than doing. And I've stayed in role, because it's fun and fits. As far as I'm concerned any of you can do anything to this me, so long as you're careful of junior, I know and trust you all. Whatever you'd like. No pressure, though, if you prefer I can just bring you snacks."

Petra says with an exaggerated sigh, "I can just feel this is going to turn into an orgy."

Everyone at once? Yes very please. I can feel the idea getting me wet. I bet Paige, at least, can smell that with her kitty nose. I head over to Petra on all fours and drop to a kneel in front of her. "I saw you watching, this morning. It's okay to want. And I'm giving you permission to go beyond just wanting and take. If you choose to. Slow or fast. Public or in private, as you prefer."

"If I do what I want to you, I'll just injure myself again", there's both lust and terrible frustration in Petra's voice.

Other me says, "So, that idea I mentioned. This seems like the right time." Everyone turns to look at her. "Your problem is that you burned through all your bioavailable calcium, right? And a few other assorted things, but mostly calcium, and the only way to replenish it is eating, but that's glacially slow because your blood can only carry traces, or you'd get sick. Growth at biological speed, not regen speed. So far so obvious. But get this: I can create calcium. I can create it in bulk to make bone daggers and I can create it in my bloodstream in bioavailable form. If you let me get in biological sync with you, I can rig a link between my bloodstream and yours, block you from getting sick, and pour the stuff into you. Plus whatever else I sense you're short of. Zero to full regeneration in a few minutes. I could even throw in a general check and tune-up."

Petra's struck dumb for seconds. "How long. How long have you been able to do this?"

"Technical ability since I came out of the coma with expanded senses", other me says. "I didn't dare risk sorcery inside your body with your soul out of shape from class-X damage. And after big me did the repairs, I wanted to see them actually show. So now, really, is the first opportunity."

She takes a deep breath, blows it out, grimaces. "Will this hurt?"

"It won't", I pick up the reply. "With your permission, I'll have absolute control over all your cells. That includes nerves, so if I say, no pain, then there won't be pain. But it'll be scary. I'll be inside you and changing things, and I am what I am. With our bloodstreams linked, it won't be safe to snatch yourself away suddenly if you panic."

Petra looks at Sara. "Will this work?"

Sara nods. "It will, sweetie. If you want, I can monitor? But then there'll be two of us inside you."

"I refuse to ever be scared of you", Petra says, and I remember there's history there. "If you say it's good, if you monitor, then yes. Let's do this thing. If I panic, just hold me safe."

Sara nods, and plops herself down on the sofa beside Petra. "Come sit in my lap. I'll wrap you up in a hug. Where do you want to link up, Jules?"

As Petra shifts over to her lap, I look up from the floor and smile. "Femoral artery seems nicely placed."

Which gets an amused smile from Petra. "Only you could make this into foreplay."

"Oh, I'm sure I can too", says Sara, with a grin.

I move closer, gently push Petra's legs apart and place my lips against the warm skin of her thigh. Skin meeting skin, and I can feel her whole body, with her consent making it easy. Tongue touching her and melding to her, a thread of me slipping inside, finding the artery, touch against it, form a link to the blood vessels of my tongue. And now I'm diverting a significant part of her blood flow so it joins mine, and creating the nutrients she needs, letting them flow into her. Her regeneration knows what it wants to do, I help. I can feel Sara inside her too, tentacle threads slipping between the cells, and somehow I can feel her love for both of us in them. Together, we spot places where regeneration made sloppy, battle-patch fixes, things that are kind of like scars, poor Petra really has been through the grinder. Together, we gently put them back to rights. All the aches, all the stiffness and joints that pop, cleared up. Her bones are growing denser at an accelerated rate that's mostly her work, not mine, so I can keep the sorcery to a very light touch. Continuously creating new nutrients in my blood is an interesting new feeling. I wonder what I could do with that, myself. Bone armour? Hehe. I can feel the regeneration slowing as it reaches a point it considers finished. I nudge it a little, pointing out that she'll need more muscle, being stuck in that exoskeleton means it has atrophied. Her body doesn't feel a need for unused muscle, but grudgingly accepts the nudge, and I'm flowing the constituents of muscle into her, keeping track of what the regeneration is using, so it doesn't run low. Let's make her a little bit more built than she would be at baseline, she probably needs it, running around the world fixing problems like Jane Bond. Okay. All done. I gently recall all the bits of me that have been doing work, Close, seal, and withdraw the bloodstream link. I can feel Sara pulling tendrils out too. Skin contact breaks, I move back from the kiss, and look up at Petra.

With my attention back in the macro-scale world, I can see she's crying. "You okay?" I ask.

She nods. "Just... just emotional. I thought I'd never get it back. And just like that!" And turns to bury her face against Sara and cry some more.

Paige, who has been watching from the other side of the room, pads over and joins the hug. "Welcome back to health, sis." And then drops down to a crouch beside me and lifts me up to standing with a fingertip so she can kiss and hug me too. "Thank you, a million times. We both owe you a big one for this."

I shake my head. "No debts between us. I love you, I love Petra. Through Sara, we're all married into the same wonderful family. What's mine is yours."

"And what's mine is yours", she replies. Turning to look at her sister. "Now, enough of this weepiness, about that orgy. Petra, you're wearing too much, like a whole exoskeleton you won't need any more. Sara, get her!" and with a grin, she pounces her sister, and clothes go flying around the room.


	32. Part 32

# # Part thirty two

Poor Petra doesn't stand a chance. I beefed up her muscles to the point that she looks like a gym bunny, but they're baseline muscle, and she's the only baseline in the room. Sara and Paige teasingly strip her, and finally they get down to the exoskeleton, which goes under everything but the underwear. It's a confection of flesh-toned machinery and clear straps. From what I remember reading, an improvement over the original - which is not surprising, as that was a rush job. But improvement or not, it's no longer needed, and Petra, grinning, helps release the clips, and the thing slithers off. Quickly followed by her underwear, as Sara and Paige finish the stripping job.

"Guys, let me up, I have to try this", Petra squirms out of the grip of the two, and stands uncertainly, bare ass naked and beautifully intersex. "Whoa, it's weird, it's like gravity changed, I'm all uncoordinated."

Leather jeans me says, "You've got the strength all back, but you're used to coordinating with that gadget, and now it's all on you. No need for physio to build muscle" (Which gets a "thank fuck for that" from Petra.) "...but you do need to get used to moving again. And perhaps in new ways. You've got more than you had, even before." A grin. "I prescribe lots of playful scrambling around and getting used to using your muscles from the safety of ground level. You can't get an already-pregnant person pregnant, did you know that?" Giving me a pointed look. I put my hands behind my back to perk my boobs more. (Should I enhance them? Interesting thought. I almost giggle out loud at the idea of myself with massive hentai-grade melons, even if my exemplar strength would make toting them around a breeze. Poor Junior would think she was milking the side of a barn.)

Paige gets up from the sofa, and she's taking her own clothes off, so she's slightly muffled when she says, "I think we should thank our benefactor sis. Dibs on back door. Why don't you give Junior in there some lil' swimmy companions?"

"At the same time?" Petra asks, sounding intrigued.

"If Jules can fuck her own self pregnant, I think a little sharing between sisters isn't going to upset the moral order of things", Paige says. "Besides, aren't you curious? We've had time enough to become our own people now. It won't be like playing solo. I think these two are rubbing off on me, but, here I am looking at you, sis, and I see a very pretty girl. Don't hate me?"

Petra laughs. "I could never hate you, sis, and now I stop and look, you're smoking hot yourself, in a fluffy kinda way, and I don't hate the thought of that fluff." She pauses, and really looks. Naked Paige is beautiful, kitty ears, softly furred skin in tones of black and electric blue, with lovely blue glows coming from inside her mouth, and the glans and labia of her sex. Petra's similar, but with human skin and ears.

I tease, "If you lick her a lot, you get hairballs, but it's worth the hairballs." Which makes both of them crack up and Paige pounce me to tickle me.

"You take that back. You've never got a hairball in your life."

I get out "bet you have!" between helpless giggles and squirming.

And Paige makes an ackptht face, "Don't remind me." Which sets Petra giggling uncontrollably too.

Watching myself squirm on the floor being tickled and teased by the twins, and responding by trying to distract them with kisses, I move up behind Sara and wrap her in a hug. We two are the last ones dressed - Gothmog quietly stepped out when things got hot and steamy. Sara's still in her school uniform, which of course she fills out like a supermodel. But it would look better on the floor, I think, as I reach around to unbutton her blouse. "You know, beloved, there's a way we haven't played yet?"

"Oh, what's that?" Sara says, leaning back into me, she knows of course, but she wants me to say it.

"Me inside you. Want some lil' swimmies of your own? Purely for reference purposes, this time around." Pulling the blouse down her arms and while they're caught there, popping open the back catch on her bra. Off comes blouse, and off comes bra a moment later. Black lace, of course.

"I find myself wishing I could stash a body here like you" she says, a wistful tone in her voice.

"Maybe you'll learn. It's not as if that body's exactly physical", I say. "Raise it with big you? Meanwhile at least you can keep the DNA to play with." Hands cupping and caressing her naked breasts, I want her to feel so good, I want my love to flow through every caress. She's got her own tentacles out, and lifting up my tank top, which leaves me naked up top as it slips over my head, my nipples rubbing against her back. I add, "Leave the pants, You'll enjoy how they feel. They've got a zipper that runs right from the front", I start unzipping so she hears, then reach behind myself to catch it and continue to pull, "All the way to the belt at the back. And you can guess what I'm wearing under them."

"I can smell what you're not wearing under them, smells of warm leather and naked sex", Sara says. "My favourite perfume."

Meanwhile I've slipped fingers under her skirt, and I'm sliding her knickers down. *Silk* says my fingertip life sense. Down to her knees they go, and I stop there. "Your skirt stays on, and these stay on. When I've given you a cream filling, I'll pull them back up snug, and you can go to classes hoping it doesn't trickle down your leg too badly."

"You, beloved, are perverted", Sara says. "And I like that idea very much."

"You can like it bent over that chair" I say, putting her where I want her and pushing her over, lifting her skirt up onto her back. It gives her a great view as other me gasps and clutches at the intensity of being filled both ways, Petra kissing her from the front, Paige biting at her neck from behind, and the two timing their hips to push in at the same time.

Mmm, Sara's ass, all mine. I crouch and give her a teeth-out bite on her perfect bubble butt, making her hiss a breath in through her teeth. "I could eat you up." She tastes salty and kinda like squid ink, not at all like human blood. "You're delicious, you know that?" And her labia are soot black, like her lips. A stroke of my tongue between them takes in a different kind of flavour, but it has a reminiscence of the other. "Tasty tasty Sara, I could eat you all up, but I promised to stuff you first."

I stand up - another part of me is already standing up, and I aim, and press forward into the warmth of my beloved - life sense sparking with the details of her lovely inside as I slide in, right up to my clit.

****10th January, 2007, Whateley, gun range, third period****

I'm having trouble concentrating. Eyes on the target, finger pointing forward away from the trigger, pay attention to the range instructor. It's not like I don't have my own independent stream of attention, but what's happening over the way is so lovely and I'm just so tempted to point my attention that way and watch. And I'm fairly sure miss Bardue would catch me woolgathering instantly. I'd end up cleaning all the guns with a toothbrush, or something equally irritating. Patience, focus, I can review the memories later at my leisure.

My peripheral vision catches something unexpected, and I look over. Two security types, talking to miss Bardue. She nods to them, then in her loudhailer voice, "Cease firing! Unload cylinders, open actions with slides back, remove magazines, guns on the table!"

Okay, I can do all that. Why stop us in the middle, though? I make my gun safe, check down the barrel by peeking from the rear with the slide open, even though I can already feel with gravity sense it's empty. One follows the procedure, here. I put it down in the proper way.

"Miss Parallel, to me please!" I double check everything's ship-shape, and then trot over. Her voice drops from a range bellow, down to regular speaking. "These gentlemen would like you to go with them."

I decide against offering to duplicate myself, she might see it as cheeky. I can pick up what I missed next lesson. "Will do. What's the problem, guys?"

"Let's take you over to security, and then we'll talk about that." Which is cop speak for, we aren't going to clue you in, perpetrator. Huh. Curious. Well, I'm already safely elsewhere (and having a lot of fun, heh), so, I see no loss in going with them.

"Fair enough, lead on", I say. Which they do. Security is in Kane Hall, we go right on in. The room they take me to is kinda like a regular classroom, except empty, other than one desk and two ordinary school chairs, one on either side. Isn't there supposed to be a bare bulb and a small hard chair? or perhaps a large metal one with straps? I decide against complaining the accommodations are too cushy. Instead I pick the near-side chair, but flip it around to face the door. Focusing on my breath drops me into meditative waiting. Time passes.

Three minutes and twenty-five seconds later, a man steps in. He walks around the desk, places a recorder on it and pressed the record button. "Senior lieutenant Colin Forsyth, interviewing miss Parallel, on the tenth of January, two thousand seven, eleven forty AM."

I stand, flip the chair to face him, sit. I have no idea what's up, yet, so I resist any temptation to run on at the mouth.

He begins. "Miss Parallel, can you confirm your identity. We'll be using codenames, as this is being recorded."

"Sure, that's me."

"When did you last see Feral?"

Oh dear. I replay my memory. "Last I saw her in person, was when we ate dinner at the same table yesterday evening. Last I heard of her movements from someone with first hand knowledge, later the same night, in a dream conversation with Carmilla, I was told she went out to hunt."

"A dream, hmm?"

I nod. "Carmilla can dream walk." That's a known quantity and not letting any cats out of bags. I can too, now, it seems, but a little not-technically-lying covers that.

"Leaving that aside for the moment. Did you do anything to her, that evening?"

Uh-oh. Should I talk? I care a lot about Erin and I don't want to impede any investigation by doing the I want a lawyer thing. Even if it would be advisable.

Unfortunately, over on the other side the party has to stop, as I link Sara into the conversation through the mark.

"I'm choosing not to stay silent. Yes, I did something to her, or rather, what you might call the larger demon aspect of me did something to her. This was during Circe's detention, and Circe brought that aspect of me forward. Larger me discovered she was spiritually bound to a certain student in this school, for reasons buried in deep history. She had to obey that student's direct orders, although she chose to avoid him most of the time, it was a liability she couldn't repair by herself. She didn't want to be in that situation. That aspect of myself severed and healed the control connection. So now she's autonomous. The student she used to be connected to wasn't happy with me. That was made evident by conversations after the event, at dinner."

Lieutenant Forsyth nods. "We received an allegation, and probably from that same student, that you assaulted her violently, and cut her off from a necessary flow of spiritual essence. She hasn't been seen since yesterday evening. The student alleges you caused her an injury that might have caused her to evaporate away."

"He wishes", I say. "No, what was done, was done with explicit consent. And was done expertly. No harm would result. I am certain of that. If you want to look for a source of harm, look to the student who is reacting like an abuser cut off from a victim."

"Alright. We'll look into that hypothesis too. Do you know where Carmilla is?"

"On her way here", I say.


	33. Part 33

# # Part thirty three

With Sara headed back in a rush, and Paige choosing to come with her to do some cyber-sleuthing from over in the physical world, that leaves the two of me and Petra suddenly at a loose end. To break the sudden post-orgy tension, I suggest we all decamp to the big onsen style bath. Paige agrees, and we all head there. Showered-off and soaking, and all of us naked, the hot water slowly eases the ache of my worry. Erin's not someone I know very closely, she's private and not very poly. But what big me did to her makes her sort of "mine" in a way, I feel like she's my responsibility.

"You know I'm gonna have to go away and leave you two here?" Petra says. "You fixed me, and all the thanks you get is that I need to report back in to the Knights."

i say, "I figure you can keep coming back here. Any place it's safe for Gothmog to open a portal, it's accessible. But I also figure, you might want a holiday from your holiday, for a bit."

Petra laughs. "Yeah, I know that feeling well. Italy went from tourist trap to on the job, real quick."

"Wizard's holiday", I say. "That's a term from the fiction of another world. Travel to exotic places expecting a bit of rest, get roped into fixing their shit."

"I was expecting school, really", Petra says. "They've got a knight school, and now I wonder if the library's half as big as here. I haven't really taken proper advantage."

"You were soul-sick and regen-fucked at the time", I point out.

"True true. It feels weird, because it had got to be my normal, you know? Just drifting along. And now, whoosh, unfamiliar thoughts, unfamiliar muscles." She kicks her legs in the water. "You saved me an absolute heap of physio to rebuild these beyond stick thin and staggering. For that, as much as anything else, I owe you. And yet here I am planning to leave you. Because I still need to do the school thing."

"I won't say I won't miss you something fierce", I say. "Write, call, summon a portal and come over for tea, any time you can. Come and borrow books. But I won't be lonely, I'm in other places too. And my guess is, with this place de-tasked from being a convalescent resort, Gothmog will start bringing more people in, hooking up to exotic places, you know? Could be interesting."

Petra nods. "Don't think I don't plan to continue this morning's unfinished business, either. I'm going to find it troublesome at school, I think. Catholic sexual guilt, celibacy, ha."

I giggle. "Well, if you don't have to pack and run immediately, there's two of me here to one of you, and how do you feel about being the meat in the sandwich this time?" (Pregnant me is doing the puppy-dog eyes thing and making whiny "please" noises. I've watched Jade and taken notes. Fear me.)

"Deal", she says, "Mmm, I just got clean and now you two want to dirty me up."

"Such is the sad predicament of the always horny", I tease, and move in for a kiss, as other me finds one of her nipples to suck.

****10th January, 2007, Whateley, Kane hall****

Lieutenant Forsyth seems to be a nice guy, for a security man. We went over events that evening in detail, and he asked me questions, some I could answer, some it would take big me because the complexity doesn't fit in my head. He brought me coffee, too. I'm keeping big me posted with what's going on, although I'm not sure she fully comprehends what "disappearing" means. I think we might have to bring her forward again so she can explain her edits to Circe or someone who would understand the detail. But she's certain nothing she did would cause Erin, or her passenger, any harm.

I'm racking my head for ways to help find her. I could blanket the place in bodies ferreting around in everyone's stuff, but at the cost of annoying basically everyone, and no great likelihood of success. Life sense might pick her up as a signal, but not easily distinguish her from any other kid in the school. Paige has the cyber angle covered. Security is obviously on the job, and from my reading they're pretty competent. I don't like feeling like a fifth wheel. Phenomenal cosmic powers ought to be more useful.

Left on my own after the lieutenant left the room, I'm nursing my coffee and staring at the wall. Highlight of the view: a line of ants going from A to B in a neat (if wiggly) road, marked by some invisible scent trail. Stigmergy. Partially outsourcing the mind to markers in the environment. I remember thinking, an ant is less like an individual, more like a single thread in a gigantic parallel search algorithm.

I'm not Skitter, I can't just grab a bunch of bugs and make them do a search for me. But maybe, if I used sorcery, I could custom-build some? Kind of give them enough information to identify Erin and then lay a trail to her I could follow.

Over on the other side, I make a duplicate to go ask Gothmog for his thoughts. (No need to stop the fun this time, heh. Mmm, Petra from both sides.) Oh, and here's Sara, peeking in, looking harried and a little dressed-in-a-rush. I hop up and go wrap her in a hug, and give her a kiss, and fix her buttons before too many people notice.

"You doing okay, sweetie?", she asks.

"I'm good, I'm sure they'll figure the charges are bogus. I'm just worried about Erin."

"Me too, love", she sighs. "I've told them what I know, that we talked, played around a bit, and then she got antsy and wanted to go out and run wild. I honestly wasn't expecting her back until breakfast. I can't help thinking I should have noticed it right away then."

"Nah, being off doing her thing is her style. Maybe she'd already had a deer for breakfast? We don't even know if she was missing at that point."

She concedes that with a nod. "I don't have any bright ideas what to do. She wouldn't take my mark, so I can't do what I did with you. Other than the obvious. Involve the Kimbas, they have a lot of raw power and connections."

"I'm already talking to Billie over in flight class", I say. "We'll bring the others into the loop at lunch. Meanwhile, I had a thought..." It doesn't take long to outline the ants idea to Sara.

She nods and looks thoughtful. "Ants may be too large. It takes weeks, egg to adult, to create a fresh one, your ramp up would be slow. And there's a lot going on in their little heads, they'd be hard to reprogram. How about slime mould? Some of that is very good at seeking out resources. Just give it the idea that it really wants to find Erin, and it will set spores and go marching around until it finds her. Then draw a line to her we can follow. Plus creating the spores would probably be easy."

"I'd still want big me to do it. I don't feel competent to hand-hack lifeforms. I think they want Circe to talk to her anyway, so that would be our chance."

"I'll see if I can't bring Kellith forward in the same way, and monitor. Are you going to tell security about this?"

I nod. "For all they're my friends, I'm not a Kimba, I'll operate on the basis the adults here are competent, and involving them would be an upside. At least unless they demonstrate otherwise."

"Which is nice to know", says Lieutenant Forsyth, who has returned. "I hope we won't disappoint you. So, what are you cooking up?"

He listens to my explanation. Looks thoughtful. "Personally, I don't hate that idea. But the school generally frowns on releasing freshly invented lifeforms. I think you'd need the head's permission, minimum. But I will go bring the idea to her right away, along with my recommendation to say yes. Meanwhile, the two of you go back to classes. Or lunch, now, I think? Leave at least one body on campus, please, miss Parallel, we might want to call you back in a hurry."

I nod and thank him.

Heading for the exit with Sara, we're suddenly stopped when a couple of men in black suits bar my way. "Stop right there."

I look over to Lieutenant Forsyth, he spares me a look that expresses the same confusion I feel. "Gentlemen", he says, "What would seem to be the problem?"

"MCO Special agent Haustin, and this is special agent Bukowski. We're here to discuss a matter of national security, relating to this student. And now we overhear she's been murdering people? Why are you letting her walk out of the building?"

Forsyth looks annoyed. "As an MCO agent, you should know this area is not in your jurisdiction and is under treaties of neutrality. You can't waltz in here and arrest students. There are proper channels."

"Which is why we aren't making any arrests. We're here to have a discussion. But we are questioning your actions."

"Why don't you come into my office and explain what the issue is. Carmilla, you're free to go, but Parallel, if you could please wait a little longer while we resolve this?"

I can see that Sara's going to insist on staying, so I shake my head to her. "Go to lunch", I tell her, and psychically over the mark, add "I'm already there. We need you in the brainstorming."

She gives me a tight hug (ow, she hugs very tight indeed when worried), and then heads off.

"A touching scene between monsters", agent Bukowski says under his voice, before he heads off to the office. Ooh fun, a bigot in uniform. It's my lucky day. I go back into the room o' boredom, settle myself into a waiting meditation, and let time pass.

Meanwhile, over in Crystal hall, Billie and I have been filling the Kimbas in on what has happened. Billie was really down and dragging at the start of flight class, but I feel like having something external to worry about has actually pepped her up.

Ayla, who has been listening closely, says, "so if I can summarize it, you've got four problems. One, Feral is missing. Two, you've been accused of causing her harm. Three, it's highly likely this is a ploy by Imperious and friends which means not only that she may be in difficulty or danger, but that it's also likely she's bait in a trap. And then added to that, four, this MCO business that may or may not be coincidental."

I nod, and as Sara comes in, wave her over to join us. She touches in on the anti-snoop magic thingy, and grabs a seat. I say, "Yeah, that's right. Number two doesn't worry me that much. I think big me can convince Circe that the edits she made were safe. And also we blow the whole thing out of the water if we find her intact. She can tell them it was done with informed consent."

"Yeah, the worst they could accuse you of then, is reckless medical experimentation on another student", Ayla agrees. "Which around here, barely rises to the level of detention." That gets a few snickers around the table, and everyone thinking of Jobe.

Nikki says, "I could try a finding spell for her. The trouble is, I'm pretty sure security will have already done that. And they have all the resources of the mystic arts program at their beck and call. It's worth the attempt, just in case my magic can slip around whatever is blocking theirs, but I'd call it a long shot."

"I like the slime mould plan", Jade says. "It lets you search a very wide area. And if we go through channels this time around, we have security for backup, which messes with the whole trap thing. If they spring a trap on security, their ass is toast."

Sara says, "And that means we had better hurry, because I figure their next move is a ransom demand, come alone, if you tell security then we kill her, that kind of thing. With a hostage, they could pin you in place and make you take a beating."

I nod. "I just hope the head gives the go-ahead soon."


	34. Part 34

# # Part thirty four

****10th January, 2007, Whateley, Kane hall, lunchtime****

Alone in a room with nothing to do, my attention rests on my breath. Time passes, my mind is still. I realise the random bellowing sound I'm overhearing as background noise is raised angry voices. Rewind, apply distortion compensation...

"She's not human, Forsyth. She's not a child, she's a monster. They both are. And that one in particular is a danger to national security." That's Haustin's snarl.

"She's a student here and has rights."

Bukowski jumps in, fuming, "She has no rights! She isn't an American citizen. She isn't a citizen of anywhere! We couldn't trace her to any missing person recorded anywhere on the planet. That's because she's not *from* this planet. She's a dangerous alien monster invading this world and she belongs in a lab." Looks like they're trying to batter the lieutenant down with the bad cop, worse cop routine.

"She is a student here, and that's sufficient", lieutenant Forsyth is not inclined to be battered. "I don't care what damn world she's from or species she is, while she stays here she is under treaty protection, under the school's protection and under my protection. If she has committed a crime it will be dealt with by due process of law, not by revoking her rights and throwing her down some windowless MCO hole. Now, gentlemen, I believe the both of you have worn out your welcome, coming here and shouting in my face. Kindly escort yourselves off school grounds before I have to order you thrown off."

"You haven't heard the last of this!"

Do they make these guys in cartoon villain land? Don't answer that.

Forsyth does answer that, with a murmured "No, I suppose I haven't, more's the pity." I can hear the murmur because he's outside the door. And he comes in.

"Heard some of that", I say.

"I think they heard it over in Schuster, my ears are still ringing", he says. "Sorry about that. Normally our local MCO branch is pretty friendly. But they have a few bad eggs, and I suspect Bukowski is from out of town and higher up, given the way Haustin was taking his lead. Unfortunately, kid, I think it means you've come to the attention of powerful people."

"Interesting times", I agree. Then, "Some of what they were saying is true", deciding on a snap judgement to take him into my confidence. "I'm from off-world. A parallel Earth. Came here by uncontrolled accident. Here, he's right, I'm a citizen of nowhere. And although I was born human, I'm more monster than not, now. And definitely capable of being a person of mass destruction if I was so inclined. But I'm a friendly monster, and my inclination is to help."

He chuckles and ruffles my hair, which is kind of sweet of him. "Nah see, I already knew that. Your precise nature is very sparingly shared within the more trustworthy higher ranks in security. I know about the 'great old one' thing." He makes the finger quotes. "I know about Carmilla, too. So far, I've seen no sign you've been anything worse than amusingly mischievous. And as for your citizenship, there's a standard process to register amnesiacs as citizens and dependants, and the school did that for you automatically. Although the MCO may try to break that in court, I don't know with what evidence."

"There's too much 'don't know' to this business. Feels like we're seeing the fin but not the shark", I say. "Ah well, eventually when he wants to take a bite, he'll have to show his teeth. And then I have my own." And I do the teeth longer thing, which does make the the lieutenant go a couple of shades whiter.

"Mind those, kid, you're liable to make a person jump", he says. I retract them. Even fully pulled back, they don't go right down to flat, now, there's always a hint of sharp point. Still he smiles and says "better. Alright, now run off. I hear you have an exeat this afternoon. You might want to reconsider that. You'll be leaving our jurisdiction."

I shake my head. "What can they do? Drop a bag over my head and bundle me into a car? There's a dozen ways I could break out of that. Or I ride along out of curiosity, scope out their lair, then flood it with clones. While meanwhile being just fine outside it. I'm hard to kidnap."

He takes a moment to look at me thoughtfully. "Yes, I suppose that is true. I won't rescind it if you want to keep it. Just, please don't fall into the trap of assuming that bad means dumb. If it's on your written security record, you should assume it's been read by every three-letter agency you care to name, and some you've never heard of. And a number of less-legal operations too. There's only a few things that are kept off the record. Your duplication power is not one of them. What they know of, they can plan for. And they have more experience planning than you." Which reminds me of sensei Tolman's lesson earlier. Experience and training beats seat of the pants calculation, even for a lightning calculator.

I nod. "Understood."

He smiles. "Okay, scram, I've got work to do, like finding your friend. Don't forget, one body on campus, minimum."

I scram. This time, without incident.

As I make my way over towards lunch (food, annoyingly, being a thing that doesn't auto-sync between bodies), I mark-chat Sara. "Should we..."

She answers immediately, "Already did. She thinks it might be Englund's long awaited next attempt." Conversations with geniuses, gotta love them. I was going to suggest updating Donna - Sara of course, being way ahead of me.

"Him again huh?"

"We figure he gave up on grabbing your guardianship after Monday night's business made it clear the egg wasn't going back in the shell. Her guess was that he's switched to shit stirring with powers outside the school. Like the higher ups in the MCO. They, inexplicably, have him pegged as one of the good guys."

"He does a good cosplay. She's not calling it off?"

"She thinks cooperation with ARC will be a brownie point on your record, and you could use one. But she's going to come in disguise."

I giggle at a thought. "If she doesn't mind me starkers, I have a cunning plan."

"I think she will love you starkers", Sara replies, amusement clear in the thought. "And be secretly disappointed not to be able to see you. I've widened her horizons a little."

That dredges up something which has been low-key bothering me. "Speaking of", I say. "Petra."

Sara's return message carries the feeling of thoughtfulness. "You think you changed her, don't you? She used to be, if not asexual, something close to it."

"I think big me stamped some of my nature onto her with the repairs", I agree.

"Don't beat yourself up about it. It's not a harmful change. But it's interesting to see you have a sexual side to your larger nature. Not quite a lust field, I'd sense that. Maybe a disinhibition one?"

"Maybe", I agree. "I wouldn't complain if you're right. This stuffy culture could use it. I wonder if I'll have a large scale cultural effect, over time?"

A giggle. "I do sincerely hope so. That sounds delightful."

I pass other me and Sara and Paige on their way out of Crystal Hall, give all three a heartfelt smooch (gets me funny looks, I can hardly hold in the giggle at scandalising everyone) and head in for munchies. I'm glad Crystal Hall isn't begrudging me the extra food. And thank goodness, I'm starting to look less rake thin. Volitionally controlled metabolism is a wonderful thing.

Classes this afternoon are same as Monday, languages in all three, theory of the escape with Sara and Paige in the first two, crypto with Paige and religion with Englund in the third. I'm going to ask to test out of the languages, I think I'm fluent now. As for religion, I wonder how Englund will spin things today? I think the preceding class punctured his direct routes to calling me an abomination, but the man is ever-resourceful.

Meanwhile, this me will be going out to the gates to meet Donna. I'm filled with quiet amusement at the plan, as I munch on tolerable cafeteria food. The head won't let me scandalise the school too much (oh how I long to gradually nudge the needle on what passes muster there) but it doesn't count as having my bits hanging out for public view if anybody looking that way will just see a projected image of the background scenery.

Finished, I head into the loos to change - by just vanishing every stitch of clothing. It was sweaty anyway, no great loss. If this trip works, I will be able to do this dressed, but for now, I need to be bare ass naked for my active thermoptic camouflage to cover me all over. Ramp heat generation up hard, it's going to be cold out. Close my eyes, because my sclera lacks camo. And walk out of the cubicle into the strange grey-with-colour world of mingled life and gravity sense. People are both solid masses and flares of colourful life that I dodge carefully around. Bugs scramble in the walls, in simpler focused colours. And as I approach outside, the ground is a riot of glows penetrating deep underground and filling the air, even as my naked feet crunch into snow. It's not spring yet, but it's getting ready to be. And of course my snow-flowers, dotting the ground, glow in comforting pink. Everything is a riot of smells. I think, with my focus on my senses now and not just rushing from A to B, that my ability to smell feels sharper. I can definitely smell myself being aroused by this invisible exhibitionism.

Alright, enough dallying and flaunting. Trying to step in existing footprints, and then car ruts when the prints run out, I make my way towards the gate. With heat generation up this high, the slushy ice feels comfortably cool underfoot. But I'm burning through calories. Actually... I try something, and amusingly it works: creating simple blood glucose, the way I was creating calcium for Petra. This definitely suggests possibilities. Can I do oxygen too? Vanish CO2? Later, patience. What this means for now is that I could sleep in a snowdrift and feel no energy drain from running up my thermostat. Interesting indeed. And convenient.

Warping through the closed gate with a murmur of "I have an exeat" for the stone guardians (who may or may not care), I head for the cute touristy Volkswagen Bug where someone who looks African-American but smells like Donna is reading a map, leaning against the front of the car. I murmur "getting in the car now" as I pass her, and scooch over to grab shotgun. She folds the map carefully, as if to show a route, and climbs back in. "Hey sweetie", she ventriloquises. "Don't belt in, I'll drive carefully." And off we go. Just one more tourist finding her way, solo, through the wilds of New Hampshire.

"It's weird to be able to half-feel you there, and I think smell you a bit, but the seat's just empty" she murmurs, as familiar woods flow past.

Probably doesn't help that I'm a quiet passenger in cars. "I'm here", I say. "And you're probable smelling the fact I'm enjoying being naked like this."

Which makes her stifle a giggle. "Hush you. Don't make me laugh, that's hard to hide. We might be under observation."

"Don't mind me", I tease. "I'll just sit here naked, imagining you and Sara and a DVD of tentacle porn."

"Gah, you!" she's having to fight to avoid the giggles.

"Did Sara mention to you that I learned how to make tentacles too?"

A blush of lust like that is impossible to hide from my life sense, even if I bet nothing shows on her face. "She did. Said you were very proud of them." She looks down a little.

"Mhm. I look forward to giving you a demonstration."

"You, miss, are a tease", she says. "God help me."

"Oh I'm sure she will", I say. "She's fun that way."


	35. Part 35

# # Part thirty five

I'm the kind of person that's happy to fall silent on a long car journey. Sometimes, it's because I'm watching out of the window, scenery is something I love. Sometimes, like now, it's because I'm thinking. We're outside tribal jurisdiction now, which means that if those MCO yahoos wanted to waylay us, they probably could. But we seem to have successfully given them the slip. So my attention is on the business with Erin.

My guess is the head will ask Circe to call big me forward again during today's detention so she can handle creating the search spores. Which means that will happen while I'm at ARC. That seems like a positive opportunity to let them meet big me. Meanwhile, I wonder if I can manoeuvre another body into the presence of Knick-knack and Judicator while it's going on? I want to help cut them loose as well, per their request, and it really needs big me to do it. And ideally before anyone gets around to forbidding it. Probably the best chance for that will be if I get a ransom demand.

And that makes me wonder what's the angle for Imperious and his more willing allies here? They aren't realistically going to be able to hold her indefinitely, or get away with murder. And I read them as half-smart, but at least bright enough to realize that being chucked out of Whateley is a career limiting move, even if they don't end up in federal jail or whatever. Which means everyone needs to come out of this seemingly okay. But Erin would be not okay, and would raise a complaint. Unless...

Unless the trick he's going for is re-connection. He wants to force me to hook her back up to the leash - then he can order her to convince Whateley it was voluntary. And presumably, that I'm the villain.

Which means he's going to need me, and her, together. And me, alive. Albeit very likely beaten up a bit. He'll probably threaten to kill us both, but won't mean it, although I doubt he'd scruple a bit of torture. I could make use of that, although I might have to be a bit callous about the body. I suppose, it's war, of a small sort, and these things happen.

How do I block Counterpoint? He's the one I worry about. The fact he can copy and match my warping puts me at a troublesome disadvantage. And I know he's damn skilled even without that. I probably can't just swarm him under like Naruto, although that might be good for a brief distraction.

Sorcery is really the power nobody has seen me use at its full stretch, and for good reason. But it's one he can't answer directly. And although I don't doubt he's stolen wizardly powers in the past, I'd lay odds he hasn't the patience to learn to use them. So that may be my ace in the hole.

As we're drawing into Dunwich I update Donna on what I've been pondering. She thinks it makes sense, but cautions me that it's just a guess. It's a rookie mistake, to get too involved in a model of the bad guys, you have to keep an eye on what they actually do, and be prepared to instantly toss a model that doesn't fit. I agree.

And then we pull up in front of Rogers' Fabric Boutique. She's expecting us, but amused to once again be hosting my naked form, albeit invisibly. With a flick of a switch something happens to the windows, they seem to get more dense, I wonder what that means in the world of sight. "Okay, you can de-cloak now", she says. So I release the copying mode on my photophores and fade into view. And open my eyes. She looks at me, curiously, with what I guess is a professional tailor's eye. "You've changed since I last saw you. You're thinner, your bone structure's a bit different around the jaw. You've got a nice haircut. There's something else, but I can't put a finger on it. Has it really only been four days?"

"Eventful ones", I admit. "I kind of slightly changed species. And my body's changed a bit. The thinness should wear off soon, at least. But I need new gear to go with my camouflage, or I'll have to strip off to do it. Which while fun, has downsides."

"I'll see what I can do", she says. "It's surface camouflage, then, not true invisibility?"

"Yeah, like the movie Ghost in the Shell", I say. "Light absorption, light emission, Infrared to Ultraviolet spectrum. Volitionally controlled or camouflage on autopilot." And I show her a little of what I can do, tracing colours in fern-patterns of light across my skin. "Ideally, I'd like to be able to combine invisibility with volitional light." And I vanish again, but leave the patterns seemingly floating in mid air.

"That's quite an effect", she nods. "Will it be good enough if the clothes just go invisible when they detect light from underneath? And I could make the effect localized if the light is only a small area, so you can make sparks and glows while visible, and they will show through."

I reappear and grin. "Seems like it'll work. Do you need to scan me again?"

She nods. "If you please. And after you, Donna too, please."

"Wait, why me?" Donna's surprised. Then recovers. "Oh, cover. But you don't have to... no, forget I said that. Professional pride, right?"

Miss Rogers nods. "Quite so. I'll be billing ARC, but don't worry, not too terribly much just for a sizing and one outfit. And it might come in handy having your sizes on file."

Donna sighs and nods. "I can just see that coming out of my vacation fund. Okay let's get this out of the way."

I get to show the machine my naked self again, and the neat things I can do with a jaw that now opens wide enough it's pretty much down onto my neck, and a smile that pulls wide up into my cheeks, and teeth both long and short. I show the finger claws, and toe claws (not much use, those, as I go around in shoes mostly, but you never know). I do the camouflage thing for the scanner, and make pretty lights and darks. I also bring out my tentacles, and explain how they can go through cloth. Fun fun. No clothes to put back on at the end of it, so I pad back out and let Donna have a go, while I get Miss Rogers - who asks me to call her Cecilia, now, as we know each other - to discuss super-suits. I don't know much about what I'd like except I'd like to go for a bit of a spooky, undersea feel. Perhaps mother-of-pearl look? Scaly? She considers and then suggests close fitted pearlescent fish-skin white with small scales that are optical tricks rather than actual scales. And a domino mask of the same stuff. ("It would be a shame to hide your hair, even if it rather gives the game away, and we need to leave your jaw clear to open.") And of course, with the invisibility gimmick in all of it. I can wear it under a uniform, and vanish the uniform and slap on the mask, and shazam! She does admit, it feels a bit odd to her to have her work so casually copied and destroyed. But I'm not sharing it around, so she doesn't mind it. Except that she thinks if I want to keep permanent duplicates, I ought to pay a royalty per instance. Of course I agree to that, although it doesn't apply yet, who knows for later?

Donna's still being scanned, but Cecilia has a suit for me already weaving itself on the mannikin. It's interesting how the cloth has a little life energy in it as it moves, she's literally animating it, at least to a limited extent. I tell her, and she nods. "It feels alive to me, it has personality, it... doesn't exactly have feelings, but it has pride in a job well done?" She chuckles. "I haven't had anyone believe me about that before. They politely pretend not to think I'm anthropomorphizing."

The suit on the mannikin is fitted glove-like around fingers and toes, there's a ripple in the fabric so it looks like it's separate gloves and boots, but it's actually all one thing. She gestures, and simulated claws pop out - through the fabric of the tips. "It's watertight when they're withdrawn, and it seals around them when they're out", she says. "I've designed this suit for land or water. It's moderately bulletproof, although don't try and take anything armour-piercing. It will spread blunt impacts and stop slashes. The hands and feet have grip to them, even though they look the same as the rest. It won't pick up dirt or mud. It's rain-proof from the outside, and will act like a dry-suit if you swim in it. It blocks or fogs most kinds of scanners, and of course it works with your invisibility." The fabric comes off the mannikin and drops into my hands. Eagerly I pull it on. Oddly, it's a little large, which makes getting in easy, but it doesn't feel fitted.

Cecilia explains, "Activate it with a spot of glow, here, she taps a place on my spine where the slit down the back ends. I make a glow, and the suit shloops tight around me, including amusingly, around my boobs. Not quite the paint-on effect, but definitely on the erotically form-fitting side. Smart lady knows what I like. "Okay", she continues, "Move the glow up towards your neck". I do that, and I feel something like a zipper effect closing it up. When I'm done, I'm covered literally neck to toe. I wiggle said toes, and pop out their claws, and pop them back in. Putting the domino mask, which doesn't have a strap, against my face, it sticks tightly to my skin. In the mirror, the white of the suit matches my hair, and the mask makes the pink glow of my eyes really pop. Mask and suit blend into my skin at the edges, as if they were grown, not worn. I look like something dangerous that lives five miles down in the ocean.

"I absolutely love it. And I'm gonna wear it all day", I say.

"I'll send you back with a uniform and a gi too, but thank you", she grins. "If you want to make edits, if your shape changes any further, bring it in, and I'll do that."

I nod, "I'm sure I'll be back anyhow, I need to get you to make me some out on the town gear, amongst others. This place is too fun." Which makes her giggle.

And here's Donna, still not looking like herself, but lovely none the less. "Oh wow!" she says with a grin. "Nice look. Get you arrested a number of places for indecent exposure, but nice." I blow a raspberry at her, as the mannikin reshapes to copy her measurements and clothes begin forming for her. It's not truly that indecent - it cups, rather than fitting tight around my crotch, and it blocks my nipples. But ya, definitely on the exhibitionist side of low-drag-factor. Which makes me very happy.

Cecilia pencils something on a bit of paper, folds to hide what she wrote, and hands it to me. "Open that later. For your eyes only." I grin. Oho, even more fun. I stuff the flat-folded paper down the front of the suit, over my boob. I look forward to that.

Meanwhile, Donna gets something that will be a sharp look with her current painted-on disguise, but should work nicely with her natural colouring - a close tailored business suit, but in all white. "You can wear it out, and wrap your current outfit around her new uniform and gi in a bag. That should hide all from hypothetical snoops, although none of my shop's sensors currently register any."

Donna gets changed, and looks wonderful. We both give Cecilia hugs and effusive thanks. And then I camo up, suit and all, and it's on the way again for us.

As we drive off towards ARC, Donna says, looking straight ahead, "I saw that bit of paper, and I'm not gonna be nosy, but if you wanna share?"

"When I read it, I bet I will", I say. "I'm sure it's going to be fun."


	36. Part 36

# # Part thirty six

As we drive nearer to ARC, I can see Donna is trying not to squirm in her seat. "What's biting you?" I ask.

"That Cecilia! She gimmicked the suit. I should have known something was up when she let me go without the usual 'pay attention, double oh seven' spiel. The damn thing's silky on the inside and it's amplifying every movement into a caress. Serve me right for using her talents as a mere cover story."

I snicker and it turns into a giggle I can't stop. Which gets me grumpy glares from the side of Donna's still-in-character face. "You don't have to be so amused", she complains.

"It's a cute dirty trick", I manage to get out when I can get the giggle fit under control. "But I'm mostly laughing at how thoroughly she has both our numbers, from barely a glance. That woman!"

"You think I want to wear this?"

"I think she knew I'd do this: you should keep it on. No getting changed into sweats as soon as we reach base. It's a beautiful suit that really looks good on you and the gimmick only improves it."

There's a quiet pause. Then she says, uncertainly, "What makes you think I'll take orders from you like that?"

"Because you want to. She's got your number there. Me and Sara, we're naturally dominant to you, and that fits you like a glove. With us two, your heart automatically lays itself at our feet, and you'd do anything we ordered almost without considering it. You're only giving it hard thought now because I trapped you into looking right at it. If I'd phrased it like a suggestion, you'd be justifying to yourself how it isn't so bad."

A longer pause.

"If that's true", she says quietly, "what does it say about me? Am I wrong? Broken? Why does it feel right and terrify me at the same time?"

I lean across from the shotgun seat and put my head in her lap. "Silly Donna, it means you're a natural sub. You aren't broken. You're beloved, and you know it, and you trust us. It's scary because giving up power is scary. And because society doesn't understand. But we understand, Sara and I."

"She didn't say", poor Donna sounds so subdued.

"She didn't have to. You two naturally fall into role whenever you're around each other. She leads, you take her lead, like dancing."

She pokes me in the invisible head with a fingertip. "So what makes *you* so dominant over me, hmm, missy?" She's sounding amused, this is looking up.

"Sara's a huge natural dom. I'm pretty big that way too. I sub to Sara, and well, sometimes I play games subbing to other people too. But I'm dominant over most people. And you're a natural sub, so that really brings it out in me. The urge to tease, and control, and hold, and protect. It makes you as endearing as a puppy times a million. And you respond as strongly to me, you automatically want to be useful and follow and be told. Which I love. So we just click together that way." I snuggle against her lap, which makes her squirm, as the suit amplifies it up. "And I want you to wear that suit because it's caressing you as much as I want to. And because making you embarrassed and thinking about yourself sexually all day long under the eyes of others is a wonderful game of tease. And yes, I know that Doc Otto's gonna see right through it. Not like he hasn't seen through all the rest too. I guess, if you're psychic, you get used humans being kinky." A lovely blush of lust goes through her, oh I could look at that all day. "Mhm, I saw you react to that. Good girl." Boom, another one. Hehehe.

She makes an "aargh" sort of strangled noise, and I bet you she's blushing beet red under the makeup. "Stop it, idiot, you'll make me blow my cover. We're almost there. Hold your teasing just a bit longer."

"Yes ma'am", I say from in her lap. Which makes her giggle.

We slow to a stop under a wide bridge on a quiet road. "Quick, out, follow me", Donna says, grabbing the bag of clothes, and she high fives another woman who looks a lot like her disguise - but I sense, isn't disguised, she actually looks that way. The other woman gets in the car after I've announced I'm out, and drives straight out from under the bridge. Meanwhile a van comes in, stops, the back opens, we jump in, and off that drives too. "There we go, now Betty will drive around a bit, and we can go straight into ARC without drawing any notice. It should be okay now to decloak." Donna's removing her wig and dabbing at face paint with a solvent-smelling wipe.

"Here, let me" I say, feeling playful. I put out a tentacle, and fork the end recursively. (It takes a lot of selves to keep attention on every tip!) Then I brush it over her face and neck picking off dye molecules. Rather than the smear-and-soak of the wipe, I can grab every single individual one, and give her a nice little spa clean-and-exfoliation into the bargain. Collect all the gunk into a little dark droplet and deposit it on the wipe. "There you go."

She blinks. "Okay, wow. You said you can do tentacles... wow. It's so pretty misty blue, but I couldn't even see the smallest tips. And it just felt like a breath of wind."

I grin. And meanwhile the van is driving down a ramp inside a building, and a rolling garage door closes behind it. "Alright, end of the line, ARC New Hampshire, invisible monsters, cute operatives, and other wonders of science", that's the driver from in front, over an intercom. Smartass. I laugh happily, and jump out when the doors open.

****10th January, 2007, Whateley, fifth period****

Over in school, I've been paying close attention in escape class. Feels like it might have immediate relevance, heh. He's been doing the kinds of escapes anybody can manage, so we learned how to get out of zip ties by jamming something under the ratchet and by busting them off, and some lock picking. The locks we're using are made of transparent plastic, but even so it helps having my gravity sense giving me an overview of the small inside parts. Doing it the human way, I can open one in about twenty seconds of careful, small movements. Being lazy and shaping a tentacle, I can just pop it open as quick as having a key. Fun fun. Sara's almost as fast, because she has to grope out the inside with tentacles first. Paige is surprisingly good at it for someone with no special abilities. When I ask, she explains it was another thing they drummed into her her in her fucked up childhood. Small yay for evil jerks who turned out to be useful? She chuckles and agrees with that characterization.

We get to try a variety of kinds of locks, including a few devisor mechanisms. Now that I've got the hang of it, I can open them all, although I needed to think in more than four dimensions for a few of the hard ones. That gets me a "good work, kid" from Mr Robertson, and grumpy looks from a few of the others.

As the lesson draws to a close, Aquerna comes over to speak to me. "Hi, I just wanted to pass along, I told Caitlin today that you were interested, and she says that she'll meet you after classes outside Crystal Hall. If that's okay?"

I smile and nod. "Yeah thanks, it's really appreciated. It will be fun to just have an uncomplicated run, work out some stress." I don't mention I'm likely to be doing a half dozen other complicated things at the same time. She smiles, clearly the happy to be helpful sort.

And then, as I'm making my way toward religion class, an unsurprising surprise - a brass owl (somebody is having fun with the classical movie references). It flaps down, drops a rolled piece of paper in my hand, hoots and flies off.

Sara, who's walking with me, says "may I?" and I hand it to her, and she scans it with tentacle tips. "Written by Judicator, touched by knick-knack. Their DNA and prints only, beside yours and mine. No magical or chemical booby traps." Hands it back.

I unroll it so we can both see. The message is deliberately vague. "After lessons. Behind Dunn Hall. Under the rose." In other words, about as far from the busy heart of campus as it's possible to get without wandering into the woods. And I'm reading that last phrase as meaning, secrecy is required, don't tell security. Well, I guess we have our ransom note now. All nicely deniable, and if anything, fingering two of the people I'm trying to rescue. I'm going to assume they're being sneaky and will use Counterpoint to monitor my teleports and ensure I don't blab. But what they don't know is I have a copy already in ARC who can just ask to dial up Forsyth directly. I'm going to keep him in the loop on my plan to spring the trap, while at the same time putting up search-spores. And I think I can throw myself a copy of the new uniform from ARC, which means I'll be going in with all my abilities usable. Sara can follow the search spores once they're up, and she can monitor and advise over the mark. She can liaise with the Kimbas, without being seen talking to security. Almost a plan, really. We should be able to hit them in force.

****10th January, 2007, ARC, before sixth period****

"Alright, thank you for passing it along", Forsyth says over the secured line. "I really appreciate that you're working with me here. I'm loath to use you to spring the trap like you're planning, but you're right, they won't lead us to anyone if we just arrest them. You're sure you don't want us to give you a tracker or a wire?"

"Could you guarantee a good devisor couldn't find it? I can relay from here. I know it won't be admissible evidence, but we should be able to bust in on them red handed."

He sighs. "Fair point. Okay. This is all dependent on the Head giving the okay for the search, but I'm on side with it as a provisional plan. Stay in touch if anything changes."

Donna gives me a hug from behind as I hang up. She's still wearing the suit. Good Donna. I snuggle back against her. It feels nice to know I'm loved, even if I am gambling to walk into the tiger's mouth and steal his teeth.


	37. Part 37

# # Part thirty seven

****10th January, 2007, Whateley, sixth period****

Sixth period sees me split between codes with Paige, and religion with Englund. Oddly enough, even being in religion class under the nose of the enemy feels like the calm before the storm, today. Perhaps because I made such an impression last time, and that left me in rather a good strategic position. I gather from overhearing the pre-class muttering that opinion's divided on whether the sword means my oath had to be true, or that I merely thought it was true, or that it was just a pointy hunk of metal and an unverified assertion. Still, the way all options lean to the positive means Englund will have a hard time pinning horns on me today.

And he's smart enough not to try. He doesn't even begin by giving me a death glare. Instead he hushes the class and dives right in on a subject that actually has me curious to learn.

"Today, we'll be talking about corruption. No, not the kind fuelled by money in unmarked envelopes or dirty political dealing. The kind caused by supernatural entities. You will learn what it is, some examples of entities that can cause it, how to identify it in yourself and others, and how to fight back."

He takes a breath, continues. "Corruption is in its essence a form of mind control, but it's much subtler than mere puppeteering or post-hypnotic suggestion. A corrupted mind has its moral basis twisted, very likely without ever realising it. The individual goes on making decisions that feel right at the time, but which their past self would see as increasingly depraved. Sometimes, they may experience an ethical double-vision, where they see how their perspective has changed, but can't will themselves to undo it. Sometimes, the change is insidious enough they merely feel slight confusion at the actions of their previous, undistorted self. 'Of course we've always cooked and eaten children here, I don't know why my previous self didn't partake.' Now, who can offer me examples of entities and creatures that can cause corruption?"

Of course hands go up and we get the usual suspects. Demons, ghosts, vampires, evil spirits, cursed objects. He nods to each. Someone says "class X entities", and that gets a nod too, although a few confused looks from the class. I put my hand up and when he calls me, I say "humans, if they have the power and inclination", and that gets me a nod and "Yes, correct, I've run into a few, in fact. Some deliberately and some not. Humans with mental powers, and sometimes just humans with great personal charisma. Alright, any more?"

I raise a hand again. As there's nobody else, I get picked a second time. "Um, what if they're corrupting people towards good? Like, what if their ethics are being shifted to a more positive form, like something corrupting racists with fellow-feeling? That isn't meant as a diversion from your question, we've been making suggestions on the basis the corruption was towards evil. But what if, say, angels, make the people around them nicer?"

"We'd normally call that benevolent contagion rather than corruption. But you're right, it is a similar thing." It seems he's determined to give my class contributions a fair shake, although I don't really trust it. He continues, "The difficulty is, benevolence can be a complicated thing to judge, it's more than just good intentions. Suppose you have a cursed rock that influences people around it to be more forgiving. Initially, it causes a reduction in strife wherever it goes. But after a while under its influence, people are shrugging off murder."

"Or the other way around, someone with a balanced sense of right and wrong could have it overly sharpened and become a merciless crusader", I suggest.

Brief blank pause, then he nods. "At any rate, there are definitely entities that have effects *they* think are benevolent and we would judge them otherwise. And so moving on, how do you identify corruption? In other people, you'd think it would be obvious. The trouble is, uninfluenced humans often talk themselves into evil. So what distinguishes corruption?"

Okay, so, was that just me, or was that a swerving change of topic? When I scroll back my eidetic memory, he did look really blank for just an instant after my riposte. Anyhow, later. We discuss the symptoms of corruption, and how they differ from normal ethical drift. Normally when humans change their ethics over time, they recognise it. Like, oh I used to be a Catholic but now I'm a Buddhist, kind of thing. Small changes pass beneath the radar but large ones can't be ignored. People who've been influenced often think nothing has changed. When they're confronted with how radically their earlier actions don't match their present ethic, they're confused, or blank out and then just act as if they hadn't been confronted. Or sometimes, they acknowledge the change in a double-vision way, but regard it as outside their control, inevitable, compelling, and probably good anyway. Their corrupted beliefs pick right back up driving their actions, once the pressure to confront them is off.

Also normally, when people change their mind, they have reasons. People who've been influenced lack reasons, or seem to be making them up on the fly as excuses. The made up reasons can be really weak, but their weakness isn't persuasive. Being impossible to persuade, is another symptom.

Trouble is, of course, normal humans can get themselves into a confirmation bias spiral, sometimes. So it's always a judgment call, although you can improve your accuracy by looking at other evidence, like, is there a beneficiary? Is it of a type of entity that is known to exert influence? Does the influence all point toward this entity's goals?

And then finally, we move on to how to identify corruption in yourself. Englund's belief is that the answer is to have a really well defined ethical framework, and cross check yourself against it constantly. In the same way someone learning to lucid dream practises constantly checking, am I awake? Then have buddies who can pull you out with a pre-authorized psychic intervention.

The glaring gap in that approach is that it has no remedy against the exact situation I mentioned earlier. All the checks would pass. He's plenty smart enough to spot that, and he doesn't. I'm unsure what conclusion to draw from that yet.

As we draw towards the end of the lesson, I can see the strategy behind choosing this topic. He doesn't even have to accuse me of corrupting people, he's got the whole class checking themselves and wondering if I'm putting the whammy on them. It should nicely defuse some of my popularity.

Nor can I really claim innocence. I'm fairly sure I am exerting some influence, at least on the people very close to me, like Paige and Donna. Goodness knows how far the boundary extends. If I'm lucky, ha, I bound it into the fundaments of physical law last Monday evening. And if that's true, there's not a star system anywhere in the uncountable galaxies that won't be feeling it, sooner or later. Now that's somewhere between appalling and nifty. Because of course, I think my influence is *good*. Other people's opinions may differ.

At least, they may differ *now*.

Crypto class was quiet. We covered the abstract theory of modern symmetric and asymmetric ciphers, and how the design of cryptographic systems can be related to mathematical problems whose hardness is either known, or very plausibly estimated. We dug into the internals of a simple stream cipher, and then talked about block cyphers and their modes that let them cover more than one block, starting with the simplest, ECB, meaning one block at a time, then showing its flaws, and digging into more complicated ones involving feedback and counters. Then to finish up, we dug into the internals of a modern block cipher. There's a lot of complex churn in these things. I could do the math in my heads, but it would be a big pipeline.

I think Paige knew most of it already. Although going into the details had her intrigued. I bet she was optimizing code in her head.

And now the classes are over. Cry "Havoc!", and let slip the dogs of war.

Before I split, I take a loo break, that actually consists of receiving a long distance teleport of the new school uniform. Vanish the old, on with the new, I test by cloaking and looking at myself in the mirror. Two very unsettling floating eyes and a Cheshire cat grin. Good good. Back to visibility.

One to go to Circe. I'll fork again when I'm there and search out the portal to downstairs. I don't feel inclined to get knocked out any more than I have to, today.

One to head to Crystal Hall where I can meet Caitlin. That's an important relationship I want to cultivate, I think. And it will be nice to have something simple I can sink my claws into.

One to walk into the trap. Slowly, because I'd like to give the rest of me a head start.

And of course one of me back in ARC, still wearing the nice new super suit, as comms and coordinator. And demonstration of big me, too, if I can fit that in. And Donna-snuggler. That bit is important.

The two of me in Gothmog's place are staying out of it all, but we've been researching slime moulds so we know one when we see it, and know how to pick it apart and put it back together.

Paige is going to be riding cyber cover. All very Shadowrun. Sara's headed to the Kimbas, to fill them in and saddle up the posse, ready to roll out.

Big me feels eager.

Pause, indrawn breath.


	38. Part 38

# # Part thirty eight

It's dark out as my feet crunch through snow on the path, but Crystal Hall's windows light up the snow - and the figure outside, which my gravity sense immediately picks out as more like a statue than a human. Caitlin Bardue. We already slightly know each other as she does the intro to the ranges class that I got yanked out of earlier. But this is my first time meeting her as just herself.

"Going to run in that uniform?" Not one for hi and hello is Caitlin.

"It'll do", I say. "It's a little more gimmicked than it looks. Mostly useful so I can pop out my toe claws", which I do, they look incongruous sticking out of pseudo-regulation school shoes, "And because I'm lazy and don't wanna change." Pop them back in. "Nice to meet you."

She chuckles. "Nice to meet ya too. Lazy, I can understand and sympathise with. So. Rules of running. You move physically, no powers. Try to keep up. Don't die. I heard you used tentacles to climb this building yesterday?"

I nod. Pop one out to show her. "I'm not sure if they count as powers."

She looks closely. "Solidified sorcery, but moves like it's part of you. I'd say, try to do it with hands. Those probably make it no challenge. And some day you may need the skill. Use 'em to catch yourself if you lose confidence, but keep em in if you can. You got claws on your fingers too?" I show them. "Interesting. Biological, but like a construct. Lot of small fine work in those. Try not to scratch up the buildings. It'll be your ass out here with a trowel and plaster if you do, but they'll yell at me for encouraging it, and I don't like that."

"Bet there's a story in that", I say.

"More than one. Let's see if you can get back up without the tentacles?" And she's off, heading up the shining wall like a spider, using the support struts. I follow.

Meanwhile, the one of me heading to the rendezvous at Dunn is going over the surface, the one headed to Circe is going through the tunnels. My hope is, all eyes will be on the one visible in the open.

That hope is dashed as my way through the tunnel is blocked by two boys. One older and blond, one looking about my age and red haired and glaring daggers at me.

The older one says, "Look, you have no idea how little I wanted to be mixed up in this mess, but he did *insist* that you not be allowed to run to the staff for..."

Like I'm going to let him finish monologuing. A flicker of warp carries me into touch range and a finger tip touch on each shows me nobody's bothered fitting them with protective wards, and that's game over for the both of them as I lock their every muscle below the neck into tetanus.

"...ow. Help", he finishes, as I catch and steady the two of them with tentacles.

"This is me being nice", I say. "Like, I didn't stop your heart, or turn your immune system loose against every cell in your body, or lyse your red blood cells and watch you gasp yourself unconscious. I'm guessing that 'he' is Imperious, right?"

"I, uh, can't say. Like literally, I can't say", the blonde one replies. Obviously he's been given orders. Fair enough.

The redhead snarls, "So what you gonna do, break us like you broke my sister?"

"Your sister?" A moment of confusion and it clicks. "Apollo, huh? I didn't break her. Last I saw, she was grateful, in fact. I think you've been lied to."

"Like I'll believe some damn monster."

"Would you believe Circe? Because that's who I'm headed to see. I believe I'll take the two of you along."

As I pick them up and tote them in tentacles like two not very heavy pieces of luggage, the blond says after a thoughtful but strained pause, "I think I would believe Circe."

It turns out that it's not just Circe waiting for me in the entrance of Kirby, it's also Mrs Carson. Circe, of course, is unflappable despite my strange cargo. The headmistress, on the other hand, does the Spock eyebrow and says, "I'm sure you have some explanation?"

"They were sent to block me from reaching here. Under compulsion, I believe. And more compulsion not to name the guilty party. I want them to witness what we're doing."

Mrs Carson turns to Circe. "Would it be safe?"

"Not if it was the same as last time", Circe says. "Even through all my wards, I had a thumping headache."

I say, before the Head can forbid it, "She plans to tone herself down a lot. No change of form. Human speech. I give you my word, it will be safe."

Circe considers, and then nods.

Mrs Carson looks torn. "Please, explain why you want to involve them. I'm sure you have a reason beyond showing off."

So I have to explain what happened last night with Erin. Circe winces a bit, as she realises that what she did came through on all copies of me. And the Head winces, as I describe how big me did the soul-level surgery that cut Erin free of her attachment. I have to reassure her that Erin was fine, and grateful. I describe how I think this has resulted in Imperious setting up this half-smart kidnap and ransom to try and leash her again. The head looks at my now-propped-upright captives. "Tracer. Is this true?"

"I can't say, ma'am" - so the blond is Tracer. "But what I can say, is that she used to have to take his direct orders when he bothered giving them to her face. But I saw her defy them, today."

That gets "What! Shit! You let me believe..." from the redhead.

"I only just found that loophole." Tracer interrupts, sounding frustrated at how tightly he's bound up with limitations.

I say, "So now, if I let the two of you loose, you'll not attack or run?" I get two nods. Unsurprising given we're with two of the scariest people on the staff. A finger-touch repairs the small nerve damage that was flooding their motor nerves, and they slump, with tentacle assistance, to the floor, panting like they've run a race.

Then to the Head, "So the reason I want them along is twofold. To show I'm serious about helping Erin, not harming her. And to offer these two an option of being disconnected too, in circumstances where I can block any compulsion."

"Oh we definitely don't consent to be disconnected", says the blond. "We love dancing on a leash. I can definitely assert how much I love kissing ass. Please, spare me from this horrible liberty."

Which gets a sympathetic look from the Head. "Alright. Shall we?"

Circe looks at me, a pause, then frowns. "You have wards up against the knock-out spell?" Not like she couldn't batter through my amateurish efforts, but still.

"Don't need it", I say, as another me peeps around the corridor and waves, before disappearing. "I already found the door. I was searching while we spoke."

The Head and Circe share a glance, then "Lead on. And carry those two, please." They're snoring, it's cute.

The grass behind Dunn Hall is all but clear of prints, and my feet make inch-deep indentations in virgin snow. As expected, they sent Judicator and Knick-knack, the designated fall guys if security were to sweep down and arrest everyone. I walk over to meet them.

"You were stupid to come", Judicator says. "We can't help you. We aren't your friends here."

"I know", I say. "You don't need to be. Lead on."

I think maybe I see a spark of hope in Judicator's eyes. But it's momentary. "Wear this blindfold, please."

As soon as I put it on, my gravity sense vanishes. A spell? No, because my sorcery doesn't pick it up. I think it's being imposed from outside. Probably Counterpoint, watching from cover somewhere, using a copy of my warping to mess with the spatial curvature and make it impossible to read. It's one of my powers he can counterfeit. But they want me to think it's a spell, perhaps, as a bit of misdirection. At any rate, I can't exactly track where we're going any more. I can use life sense to get a sort of bug-and-plant wireframe of the space around me, but it doesn't have the same range. Doesn't matter, anyhow. The search spores will do their job.

Down in Circe's lab, she has modified her spell, after I asked her to help big me learn to do this on her own. It's supposedly more of a guiding light than a summoning, now. The Head has refused to give permission until she can speak to big me in person, so we need to get a move along. Our two witnesses sit, hushed and looking a little scared, off to the side.

I *think* I can keep this from spilling over onto my other bodies. But I do pause and warn Caitlin, "If I get really weird, I may have to pause. Stuff going on in my other bodies. It's a busy night."

"Sounds like there's a story in that", she says.

"Pretty epic one, but it's still being written. Tell you when it's finished."

She grins. "I'll hold you to that."

Over in ARC, I'm sitting on a comfy couch, snuggled up to Donna. I've been giving a running commentary, with Forsyth on speaker-phone. They want me safely off my feet in case big me makes me stumble. There's a million instruments and cameras pointed at me, and quite a few personnel, mages, telepaths and the like.

Behind Dunn, Judicator leads me to step up onto a sort of floaty thing, then the two join me and it starts moving, slowly enough there's no sensation. I'd be confused if I couldn't feel the plants flowing by beneath. We pass through some sort of portal - a change to interior bugs and wall moulds, and I feel it close and cut off the sense of grass behind me.

"Well damn, if it isn't the impertinent little mortal herself. You actually took the bait." A voice I know, Imperious.

Under Kirby, Circe starts her chant, and the circle lights up with magic. And big me responds. The feeling of being inverted, me rising through me, is familiar. But she's using a smaller pseudopod - less a whole mountain this time, more like an enormous spear of stone. And recruiting some of my parallels into its structure as go-betweens. We're afraid, but exhilarated.

She surfaces. The only indicator is the shadows thrown up by my much brighter eyes.

"I am here. I understand the plan. I greet you, mother of the school. I greet you again, long human mage."

Over in ARC, she says "Mother by choice and greatly beloved, I greet you. Curious humans, I greet you. Distant protector, I greet you."

in Kirby, Carson says, "Good evening. So, apologies for my abruptness but we're in a hurry. I need you to convince me that it's safe to let you introduce this 'search spore' into the campus. I have students who have breathing difficulties and allergies. And I have a responsibility to protect the school, and the world, from the introduction of an invasive life form."

Big me says, "Not natural life. Constructed. Designed. Exists to search, indicate, then stop. No allergens. Will dissolve to sugars and fats in contact with mucous membranes. Not capable of respiration. Preloaded with compressed adenosinetriphosphate. Scramblers."

"Scramblers?" the Head is confused.

"Unreal life form in human recorded thought image. Author, Peter Watts. Fast but preloaded with energy. No respiration. Same technique."

Surprisingly a comment from the side bench, from Apollo's avatar, the redhead. "It would work. I've read that book. She means that the stuff she wants to make would come with all the energy they'll ever have in their lives, preloaded inside the cells. That means a lot of normal life processes can be stripped away, leaving bare essentials. Something like that could move like greased lightning while it had energy, no rate limits, only a budget limit. With the budget gone, it just dies. Impossible for it to become invasive."

"Accurate summary", big me says. "Consent yesno?"

"Do it", says the Head.


	39. Part 39

# # Part thirty nine

Big me is being careful not to give the game away this time, so nothing shows she's here, but I can feel her presence as a reassurance. Judicator lifts my blindfold off - as expected, gravity sense is still being jammed - and the hover-platform settles to the floor in what looks like a classroom.

I say looks like, but I think they haven't counted on my life sense, which is telling me there's a void past the "classroom" wall, and the critters there are very different. If I had to guess, I'd say underground life. No plants. Moulds, crickets, spiders. But the inside of the room is a pretty flawless trick. Institutional strip lights and cream painted walls. Desks. Posters. A whiteboard. Graffiti. The only slight off note is the complete absence of anything that might identify it as more than "a room, somewhere". And of course, almost the full complement of the New Olympians are here. Judicator and Knick-knack beside me. Imperious and Majestic, sitting on desks in their uniforms, looking like well dressed delinquents. Counterpoint, playing with a big nasty knife. Erin, nailed to a wall. She's not bleeding, so she's probably regenerated around the wounds. Not nice.

"Now would be a good time for you kidnapping idiots to hand yourselves in to security and pray they only give you detention until you graduate", I say. Of course they won't do that, but I need to play for time.

"Why don't you walk out the door and call them yourself?" Counterpoint. "I bet you that I could fucking nail you with this knife before you make it out."

"Not taking your sucker bet. Let Erin down!" Odds on, the door doesn't even open. If it did, it wouldn't be into a nice civilized school hallway.

Imperious says, "You're throwing around a lot of orders for someone who is not in any position to make demands. I on the other hand, am in a position to. So here's the rules. One, I know you can just up and disappear. If you do so, Counterpoint there carves a bit off your friend. Then we invite you back again. Don't worry, she'll regrow it. But you'll know you left her here, screaming. Two, you sass me or Majestic, there will be consequences. Your situation will get worse. Probably a bad idea to sass Counterpoint either, but I'll leave that up to him." Said psycho gives a nasty grin. "Three, you don't speak unless you're asked a question. You shut the fuck up and listen. Have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal", I say. If he wants to monologue, I want him to monologue.

Outside, Caitlin pulls to a sudden stop, and holds up a hand. "Hold up. Something big going on. Damn, that feels like the wolves, their kind of magic, we need to get inside quickly, this could get bad."

"It's me, I'm doing it", I say. "So it's not an invasion or an attack. Should be a little bit spectacular though."

"You? How?" Her worry turns to confusion.

"Another body. A larger part of my self." I can hear big me's layered, fluid song silently ringing in my ears, she's singing and dancing the spell, layering words of sorcery into a fractal of melody that won't harm the listening humans as it controls an uncountable myriad of smaller, much more detailed spells that are forming. "Look up", I say. Carbon dioxide, water, nitrogen, drawn together high above. DNA, weaving itself. Proteins, shaping and folding. Cell membranes, organelles, enclosing. Billions of identical cells, falling. The light from the campus street lights goes pink, it's like a fog. There's a smell, but I couldn't describe it beyond smoky.

Caitlin's gaping. "Holy mother of god how big is that? That had to be miles wide. And what the god-damn hell are you doing? I half followed that magic, you're artificing.. life? In absolutely fucking vast quantities. That was the most enormous spell I have ever seen." She looks down at her arm, where pink traceries are forming like fine lace. "What is it doing?"

Oops. "Uh sorry. I forgot some students have inorganic skin. It's searching you. Looking for my missing friend. Don't worry, it should run off once it decides you haven't got her in your pockets."

"Well, damn. You should have told me you were busy."

"I'm not", I point out. "Other me's are busy. This me is here. Shall we run? It might be a bit more slippery, though."

"No, I think we've run enough for tonight", she says, looking at her arm where the lacework of pink has started to drip off. Oh dear. I hope I've not annoyed her. She catches that look and says, "Yes, I'm annoyed. You should've let me know. Please tell me you have permission for this?"

"From the Head, directly", I say. "Circe is monitoring. This is just a way to resolve a nasty little kidnapping situation before anyone gets hurt."

She sighs. "Alright. But the run is still over, because I don't know how this stuff behaves, and I'm not stupid enough to risk my neck in untried conditions. As for you, you're good, but I'm worried you aren't safety minded. Let's just say, you aren't in yet. I'll decide later if you get another try."

I nod. It's fair, I didn't warn her.

In the fake classroom, Imperious is getting to the end of his rant. "You will return what belongs to ME! The only way she leaves this room alive is back in my control. And then you will take your punishment, which will be epic enough they will be reading about it in classics classes, badly translated, three thousand years from now!"

I pretend to be afraid. "I need to bring big me forward to do the reconnection."

"Do what you must", he says, disgusted.

I make my way over to Erin, who says weakly, "Don't... do it. Won't let you live. Know too much."

Counterpoint comes over with his big knife and says, "Nobody fucking asked your opinion, traitor. Maybe I'll cut your tongue out?"

Big me fills my eyes, and the glow brightens, casting shadows. Erin says, "Please, don't." I think Counterpoint thinks she's speaking to him, but she isn't, she's speaking to me. Big me pushes thoughts directly into her head. "Trust me. Safe. I will protect." The relief on her face confuses Counterpoint for an instant.

And then there's one of me standing by each of them, and I touch them. Rats, there's wards on the big three. I get Judicator and Knick-knack though, and they drop unconscious where they were standing. Evidently traitors don't merit protection, a miscalculation on their part because they're already two down.

I fill the room with copies of me. We all extend our teeth and claws, and the fight begins in earnest. Both Majestic and Imperious are strong. Not quite as strong as me, and there's lots of me, but they've got other powers. Majestic is slinging spells, although big me finds swatting them aside pretty easy. Imperious is throwing lightning. Turns out I can tank it, but it still knocks me on my ass and hurts, a lot. Yeah okay, enough being a martyr, pain switch set to off.

Counterpoint is doing murder. I'm losing bodies fast, although I can keep making more. Gut stabbed, spine severed, throat cut, he's like a blender in human form. It's not pleasant, even now I do have my pain turned off. There's no point waiting on regeneration, I just let the killed bodies vanish.

A stray bolt hits the lights and fuses them, and the room goes black, then a dim emergency light clicks on. Perfect timing. All of me vanish, except we're not hiding our shining eyes and long sharp teeth. Except when we are. One invisible for every three visible.

It helps. Majestic is just cowering. Imperious is sparking and punching, sparking and punching, but he looks tired and afraid and badly scratched up by sharp claws.

"You think I can't fight what I can't see?" Counterpoint on the other hand, is having a ball. I feel something shift, and gravity sense comes back on line. Ha, switched powers, did you?

A smoky smell makes me smile. Suddenly, fine wispy threads of bioluminescent glow radiate out from Erin, and start pulsing, widening rapidly into gleaming lines of light. Pulse, pulse, pulse. She's here. Found her.

"What the fuck is that", asks Imperious.

"That is a shitstorm about to drop on your head. Now would be a good time to surrender", I say.

"Not if I fucking kill her", Counterpoint is beating his way over towards Erin, throwing murdered bodies left and right. Oh well, no more miss nice Parallel. Sorcery level all the way up to "sorry, Nikki." Big me rips crudely right through Majestic's wards, making her scream and drop unconscious. And we throw a command into Counterpoint's body to fire every nerve in his body at max. Boom, he drops like he's having a stroke, which he basically is, kicking and thrashing on the floor like a poisoned spider.

"Surrender or die" I say to Imperious. I'm lying, I'd only hurt him a lot.

He doesn't know that. What he does know is that I dropped his tame psychopath like a rag doll, and he's the last man standing. "I surrender. I give you my word."

And done. A me next to Counterpoint touches him and resets the command to just unconsciousness. All the more injured bodies of mine vanish. And with one of them I pad over to Judicator and Knick-knack. Now to take the tiger's teeth.

As big me is cutting them free of their leashes - and the two in Circe's lab - another me comes to comfort Erin. "Won't be long now. We'll get you down, but they have to see what was done." She nods.

A few minutes pass. Noise outside. A hole is smashed in the wall, and Hank flies in. He's followed by Forsyth and a bunch of security guys with flashlights, that reveal the room again. It's an absolute mess. Blood literally dripping off the roof and on every surface. Nearly all of it mine.

I wake Judicator and Knick-knack, now free agents, and everyone's led, or carried out, while docs deal with Erin. The other Kimbas and Sara are there, and I have to promise a big favour to Nikki, for her to go clean up the nasty distortion in the room, as well as the residue in Counterpoint and in Majestic.

It turns out we were under the school, in natural caves connected to a really deep part of the tunnels. This was probably their sneaky long term project, a lair they used to frighten people, or just hang out and plot world domination. Most anyone brought down there by portal would have no clue it wasn't a classroom, but their reports to security would leave people scratching heads and doubting their story. And of course, no matter where they looked, up above, they wouldn't find that one classroom.

After they're cuffed, I take the unconsciousness off Majestic and Counterpoint too. It's a long, weary climb back up to the surface level, and I'm not inclined to burden some security guy with dragging their sorry asses. Erin is carried up gently, wrists still pinned to two broken off pieces of wall. They want to do x-rays for safety's sake before they take the nails out. And then I get to sit in security, with a much deserved cup of hot coffee, and tell Forsyth the story.

Over in ARC, there's much celebration. Big me stays out, for a bit, to answer questions and get probed by scientists. Also, to properly give some attention to Donna. They let us have a room alone. Big me gives her the same never-die-of-age mods we gave the doc, as well as sharpening up her beauty and giving her regeneration as good as mine. And then we do a sort of mind meld, and big me just pours love into her in an impossible torrent until she almost passes out from it, then we bask in her love back.

The search spores stay active until morning, bright pulses of light now marking Doyle as Erin's location. When the sun comes up, they stop, and begin to dissolve back to the elements that temporarily made them.


	40. Part 40

# # Part forty

"Oh don't give me that guff, I gave permission for a search, not a war", Mrs Carson is annoyed with me. After we were done talking to big me, security phoned her with the outcome of the rescue, which she was not happy about. And now I'm sat in her study being told off.

"I had to be there", I say. "I had to know she was there, and safe, and protect her from when the spores found her, until security reached us. You know Counterpoint was going to kill her once he saw the spores light off, right? It wouldn't have worked to hide her, but she'd be dead. So I had to be there in person to play for time."

"And it had nothing to do with the fact that you wanted to disconnect Judicator and Knick-knack, and it would be convenient to have a self-defense excuse if they had been instructed to fight back?"

It's not easy to hide things from the Head. "Okay, that too. They had already begged me to do it, but they were under orders to resist. I didn't want to abandon them to his control. I felt responsible."

"And you were worried that afterward, it might be harder to get permission than forgiveness. So you knowingly put yourself in harm's way. And died how many times?"

"Thirty-ish. Give or take maybes. I think I'd have regenerated most or all of them in time. Simpler not to, though. Regenerating from dead is a messy thing, and the bodies would have been underfoot."

She sighs. "I'm still trying to work out how you charge someone with killing the same person thirty times over, and yet she's fine. But yes, we're going to throw the book at them. You, I'm not sure about. You started a very violent, very bloody fight against three of my students, two of whom have minor class X damage as a result, all of whom are probably going to have screaming nightmares for months. You magically befouled part of my school, if not an authorized part, and miss Reilly had to spend an inordinate amount of essence making repairs, for which I now owe her. On the other hand you did it for mostly good reasons, and in defence of an innocent victim. I'm going to have to sleep on it before I decide."

Nice work double billing for the same piece of work there, Nikki. The thought makes me want to giggle, perhaps a bit hysterically, but I suppress it. Instead I say, "I hope you're not charging Judicator and Knick-knack?"

"No, nor Tracer and Prism, they acted under compulsion, that much is evident. I'm going to have the others checked for the same thing. And all of the remaining connected three checked for whether they wish to remain in their present state, now I know it's an issue."

"I know Counterpoint doesn't, but I'd be reluctant to disconnect him", I say. "If anything, it holds him in check. He has fewer ambitions and nastier hobbies than Imperious. I already told him, not unless he can convince big me that he has changed."

She sighs and looks tired. "Perhaps that may be for the best. Well, it's almost dinner, so be off with you and eat. I'll have a message sent with my decision tomorrow."

It's only a short indoor walk from the Head's office in Schuster, to Crystal Hall. I can see the search spores pulsing their glow outside, through the glass of the hall. The Kimbas and Pack are already there, all at one pulled together table this time, but they look like they're waiting for something. It turns out that something is me. As I make my way in, they stand up and all clap. Yikes. Okay, blushing now.

"Yeah, yeah, cut it out, you're making a scene", I complain, suppressing the urge to run away or disappear.

"You fought a mighty battle, and saved one of us", Hippolyta says. "It deserves a scene." Which may be true but it doesn't make it less embarrassing. Still, I get a very heartfelt hug from Sara which I don't mind at all, and then with one of me sent off to get her tray filled, I grab a seat, and get debriefed for a second time.

"So basically, you got your ass kicked so hard you won", Billie teases, after I've recounted the fight, and shown everyone the teeth and claws.

"It's a legit way to win", Hank says. "There's a famous battle in the 19th century where short spears and hide shields beat and completely obliterated rifles and machine guns, and it's partly because there were just that many of them and they never lost courage."

Sara adds, "Zergling rush."

"I'm much cuter than a Zergling", I teasingly complain.

Omnisexual Sara gives that some thought. "I dunno, they're cute in their way." Which gets a chorus of "ew" and small bits of food thrown at her as she giggles.

Hank says, "I have to warn you though, there's a second famous battle that happened right after the first one, where the same side used the same tactics and lost bad. Don't just rely on swarming people with numbers."

"I wasn't really winning, just holding ground", I agree. "In the end when Erin was in direct danger, I had to swat him with sorcery."

"I wish you hadn't, even if I got two favours out of it", Nikki says. "I don't think you could see just how badly that one swat messed the place up. You'd have had things crawling out of the walls within days if I hadn't patched it. Please, try not to need that again."

I sigh. "It's frustrating having the power, and no way to use it safely at full strength. Stupid sorcery needs debugging."

"Well, feel free to try fixing it", Sara says. "It wasn't created by an entity who cared about the side effects. He just wanted a fast, cheap way to get results. There might be gentler ways of doing it. You could make that a project."

I nod. "I will."

Over in ARC, I'm just basking in the closeness to Donna, and snuggling against her. It's really kind of them to let us have time together like this. It's helping a lot with the after-battle shakes. Big me has folded back down into wherever it is she exists, although I'm sure she's always going to be closer to the surface now. So for now it's just us.

I say, "I wanted to talk to you about a thing, although I'm not sure about it, it's more a guess. I'm not sure whether to raise it as a thing with ARC proper. But it directly affects you."

"Mhm?" she says lazily. "I think I might be guessing."

"Oh?", I ask, "I'm curious what you'd guess."

"That you've noticed I'm changing. Somehow, being around you is doing that, even just a couple of times. Around Sara too, but she changes me in a different direction. She pushes me towards accepting my hungers and how they crash over me and make me into a needful thing. You, you're making me open and easygoing and kinda not too worried about taboos or being seen. Sexual too, but in a kind of open-hearted loving way. I look back at who I was, and she'd have been appalled at me, snuggling up with her adopted daughter like this, even if we have got our clothes on, but I just can't feel that any more. Love is more important. And feeling sexual is part of love."

I nod. "Yeah, I've been seeing people change. You, other loves of Sara's, particularly anyone big me has tinkered with. I kind of wonder if ARC is letting us have time because they're caught in it too, and it's made them not mind." I pause, thinking how to put this. "I um, really like the effect I'm having. I don't want to force it on you if you don't want it. But if you do want to..."

"I can see where it's going. We're going to end up being sexual together, aren't we?" She sounds quiet.

"Feels like we're most of the way there already. But I don't want to make you go further than you want."

She's quiet for a bit. Then, "I... I'm going to let you know a secret. I've been wanting you today since I felt the warmth of you slip past me getting into the car. You and Cecilia and your damned feel-me-up prank suit hasn't helped either. I'm not comfortable with acting on it yet. But I can feel that changing. I can feel myself moving towards, oh just kiss her, don't you want to let her touch you... and I do, I really do. But not yet. But it's close. I can feel my resolve just... evaporating gently away."

"For now, snuggling is good. I have absolutely no complaints at all. Lovely Donna. Beloved mama."

"Cutie. Why do I have all the luck. First Sara, now you?"

"Fate must like you", I say. "Can't imagine why, must be the cuteness. Or perhaps the wonderfulness."

"Silly!" She laughs.

"I admit it, I'm silly." I sigh. "There's something else that's been on my mind. You know what told everyone about the way I changed reality last Monday night. What I didn't say is that I still don't know just how far my changes will go, or how they're going to affect humanity as a species."

She plays fingers in my hair. "Worried you're going to influence the whole world same way as me?"

I stroke her fingers with my hair, making it twine around them. "Whole universe. Multiverse. Everywhere that shares our metaphysical basis. But even if all we see of it is Earth... can you imagine the changes?"

She considers that. "Not easily. There's so many people, so many viewpoints, it's a really big world." She pauses, thinking. "I think you should tell ARC, officially. Then we can set staff to watching the numbers on government statistical feeds, including the secret ones. Even if the effect is small, it should show at scale. We've got the resources to do that, here. We're already doing it, in fact, it's how we get advance warning of some kinds of dangers."

"Means telling them about you. What if they drag you off for deprogramming?"

"If it's not a harmful change, and I'm consenting, I don't think they will", she says. "It's important enough you shouldn't prioritize me, dear."

"I do though, I can't help it", I say. "Okay, I'll tell them. I'm going to rely on my gut feeling they won't react badly, and they aren't hierarchical enough to be overridden by highly placed idiots."

"Woe betide them if you're wrong, I think", she teases. "My little anarchist."

I stick my tongue out at her. "I am not some rampaging monster out of a disaster movie. I'd come rescue you, but I'd try to be polite about it."

And that just makes her giggle. "Polite!" And giggle some more.


	41. Part 41

# # Part forty one

It's getting late, and I should head home from ARC. I'm going to use a long distance teleport, because I have a good lock on my room in Poe, and I have clothes to deliver.

But first, I take some time to explain my thoughts about influence to Doc Otto. He peeks inside Donna's head with her permission, and confirms it, there's subtle but profound changes being worked, more so than are obvious consciously. I was pretty sure of it already, but the independent confirmation does give me a bit of a sinking sensation.

Donna says that she consents to and approves of the changes. The doc decides to accept that. He agrees that ARC will start to monitor to see if there's any large scale similar effect. Donna is useful here as the type-specimen. He says he'll keep me posted if they detect it.

Me and Donna step aside into the bathroom before the teleport, so I can share reading the secret note. It turns out that my new gear has a couple of secret features. "First, try putting a glow on both nipple tips at once, but wait until you have privacy", Cecilia writes. I do, and what was a tight fitted somewhat exhibitionist suit suddenly fits much tighter. As in, around and under each separate breast, contoured around my nipples and tucking up into my crotch with enough detail you can see the folds of my labia. It literally looks like paint, or some mermaid's naked skin. Fun fun. That mode makes Donna giggle a lot, as I try toggling it on and off. "Next, and I stress, in private, light from your pubic bone in front, around underneath to your coccyx in behind." I do it, and the entire crotch area unzips and folds back to the thighs, making Donna blush and look away. Okay, that is both practical and promises a lot of fun. I'm definitely going to have to bring a copy across to Gothmog's realm. I didn't know Cecilia was kinky like that, but then, maybe she's been caught up in my field of influence too. Undoing the changes is as easy as reversing the direction of the light, it folds closed and smoothly seals. Okay, I *like* this suit.

Decent again, I head back out, give Donna a goodbye kiss and hug, pick up the shopping bag, and make the teleport back to Poe, and my suddenly lonely room.

I think I'm going to save showing off the suit until the morning. I've had enough excitement. I strip off, hang up the new clothes, switch to pyjamas, jump in bed early, and park that body. Security is thankfully done with me, of course all the spurious charges are rendered moot by catching the real kidnappers red handed and without the ability to force Erin to lie. I vanish the body, but leave them the splattered and slashed uniform as evidence.

And so there's just one of me out for now. Stan and Morrie sent me a message that I wasn't to come in today "on account of being repeatedly dead, we felt you needed bereavement leave". Which makes me giggle, but it's probably a good call, I'm emotionally wrung out. Although mildly curious how they got the gossip so fast.

I decide to head to Sara's place - along with all of the pack except Erin, who's still being looked after for her wounded wrists, and Gypsy, who doesn't really hang with them. For once, we head to Hawthorne overland, because it's a spectacular sight. The grass as far out as we can see ripples with a webwork of bioluminescent light, pulses flowing out from the epicentre in Doyle. We aren't the only ones marvelling at it. If you step on it, it squishes underfoot like jelly, but quickly runs back into formation. Some of the kids are gleefully stomping in it like new snow.

"Hold up!" The kid walking towards us is short, looks about the same age as me, with a weak chin and slicked back hair, and wearing a long lab coat. We all pause, as he approaches the group, and heads for me. "Is this mess yours?"

I nod. "Enjoy it while it lasts, it's temporary." Although really, he doesn't look as if he's enjoying it.

"Thank all the gods for small mercies. Your little toy tried very hard, for about ten unpleasant minutes about an hour ago, to bust into my biosecure lab. Got right through three layers of defenses that should have stopped everything from ants to Ebola. I don't appreciate having my space invaded like that."

"Ah, I apologise", I say. "I'm guessing you're Jobe, right? I hope no specimens were damaged."

"Not for lack of trying, but no, the high intensity ultraviolet disinfector held the line. I think, if they hadn't already found what they were looking for and stopped pushing, even that might have been swarmed. I do admire their persistence but if you do that again I am going to get creative in response. Which you will not enjoy."

"If you could give me a stigmergic biomarker I can use, if I ever need a next time, I can tell them that means keep out."

"I'll do that", he says. And just turns and leaves.

"Well, well", Sara says when he's out of earshot. "you have a new fan." Which has the others giggling. "No, seriously. That was polite, for Jobe. He complimented you. I think he was genuinely impressed."

I say, "That's going to be interesting given how much I know he loves you", which makes her snicker too, and agree.

Sara's room is a welcome refuge after a tiring day. I grab a spot on the bed and just rest my eyes a bit. I think all of us are feeling frazzled. Those who weren't fighting, were waiting to see if a friend would be all right. Two friends, I guess.

Someone comes and cuddles up against me from behind, and wraps arms around me. From the plush softness, it's Paige. She says, "I know you probably figure I'd be grumpy, having the no use job, given those idiots have all the technical competence of a flatworm. But I was patched into all the security feeds, and they were wearing body cameras when they broke through the wall. I saw that room. I figured you'd need a hug."

I know she's experienced something similar, and worse, herself. "Thank you." My voice comes out choked up, it feels like emotion's welling up in me, like some tap that was off while everything was busy is back on now it's quiet, and it comes roaring out. Dying and dying and dying. Seeing my own blood thrown in my eyes. Red, dripping off the ceiling. Seeing my intestines spill, for that split second until they vanished. The cold feel of that knife of his slicing deep inside my throat. Over and over. Feeling like I was barely able to hold the line, even as I was pouring selves into the meat grinder. I could hardly touch him. But nearly every attack of his hit home. I find I'm sobbing. Even with my pain turned off, it was awful.

Hands on me, gentle, reassuring. Everyone's crowded around. Sara's sat by my head and stroking my hair. I just let myself cry for a bit, surrounded by the comfort, and loving all of them.

It takes a few minutes, but I do calm down. Although I can feel there's new damage there, that I'm going to have work sorting it out when I dream tonight. I guess I'll be seeing Doc Bellows again. A thought makes me giggle, which makes Paige go "nya?" curiously. So I explain that the doc will be grumpy at me, I'm putting traumas in faster than he can take them out. Which makes her giggle too. I know she knows the feeling.

Thinking of docs reminds me of earlier, and I have to tell them all about the influence thing. Now that Doc Otto has confirmed it, it's more than just speculation. I'm probably influencing them, just being around them. It's very likely I influenced Erin by tinkering with her. Jet and Sara are the only ones I'm not sure if I can influence that way. Actually, make that, I'm pretty certain I can't influence Sara.

Everyone looks a bit thoughtful after I explain it.

"I think, you have made me less bothered about your sexual play", Hippolyta says. "There used to be less. Sara and Paige, sometimes. Sara and Jet. It used to annoy me, I would walk out. Now, I shrug."

Jamie, forwards-talking today, says, "I don't think it's making me sexual, this body just doesn't know what to do with that if I'm not hosting a spirit. But I think it may be making me more sensual and inclined to cuddle up. And yeah, like Hippy, I find I don't care if I walk in and Sara's got you spit-roasted on tentacles and making squeaky noises. It's just cute." Which image makes me giggle.

Paige says, "I definitely am a lot more sexual. And uninhibited. I was hot to fuck my sister just this morning. She was up for it too. And we did share Jules. I figure some day soon we'll meet up and do each other, and the thought doesn't worry me in the least. My mind meets the word 'incest' and just kinda shrugs. Love is love. Why not share it sexually, if you're sexual people? And I know we didn't used to feel that way."

"I would have disapproved", Hippolyta says. "Incest is bad, I was taught as a child. It still is, if it's taking advantage. But I cannot find that in what you feel. So I think it is cute." She pauses. "And hot, a little. I do not understand that."

"Paige and Petra are ridiculously hot" I say. "I loved being shared, and feeling their love passing through me. And I'm going to really enjoy watching them together, if they'll let me. So I completely understand." Which makes Paige giggle and whisper "maybe" in my ear.

Jet says, "I kind of got saddled with a libido matching my needs, so I don't know if that's changed. I might be getting more bi, though. I certainly don't object to it. I've had much worse stuff tinker with my head. You, I feel I can trust." Which makes me smile.

"So, you aren't all mad at me for accidentally messing with you?" That gets "It's the least weird thing in my life, it's fine", "It is confusing but I am not opposed to it", "I'm really liking it. Definite keep." "I already said not, silly". And a grin from Sara. "Excellent. Well, I'm going to declare tonight a snuggle sleepover, if anyone wants to join me? I'll tell the room to make duvets so we can all snuggle up on the carpet. And we can have another tomorrow to welcome Erin back."

Everyone loves that idea.


	42. Part 42

# # Part forty two

****11th January, 2007, Whateley, morning****

Dreaming was about as bad as I expected. Several concurrent nightmares of being killed, ones where I couldn't turn the pain off or vanish so I had to squirm and hold my guts in and cry, of being stalked in the dark by Counterpoint, trying to hide and being dragged out. Imperious didn't feature much. It seems my subconscious isn't impressed with him. Sara was there with me, helping take the edge off it. A few times, we turned the dream around and hunted Counterpoint together, and I got to let out my frustrations on him. Not sure how I feel about that, I was *very* angry and he screamed a lot.

Waking in a cuddle pile in Sara's room was nice. I brought the Poe body back up active and checked my emails - as expected, the Head wasn't wasting time. I was instructed to see her immediately as soon as I woke.

So now I'm stood, un-showered and hastily dressed in her office, while the other me gets a neck massage from Sara, her attempt to try and take the edge off the tension.

"I've reached my decision. We are not going to be expelling you. I consider your behaviour partially justified, but not completely. The difference is between a judged, defensive fight for time, and flying wildly off the handle into unjustified extreme violence and use of visceral fear as a psychological weapon. You've caused serious emotional damage to Majestic, who was acting under compulsion. She is going to need trauma therapy, and probably have permanent phobias. You also escalated too easily to an extremely harmful power, and I know you have other, worse ones available. This worries me that if you snap badly, I might find my students chopped in pieces and half the school irradiated. Can you genuinely reassure me that it's impossible?"

It takes me a moment to grit my teeth and admit, "No. If I was killing angry, if they had harmed friends, if I felt they were going to get away with it otherwise, I can't guarantee I wouldn't let fly in a moment of berserk. Or if I was afraid they were about to do harm, like this time, I can't guarantee I'd finely measure my response in the heat of battle."

She nods. "You're honest, and that simplifies things. You've read the regulations on UltraViolent armbands?"

I nod. This feels almost like an inevitability.

"You aren't a rager, because when you're angry, you can rein yourself in. You aren't a violent sadist, or someone who could slip and do harm by accident. But you are capable of being extremely destructive if you choose to, and you have demonstrated yourself not fully in control of your own temper. So you will be wearing a blue UltraViolent armband, until further notice. That means, that students will know they must not provoke you. And it goes both ways. You must not start or provoke fights. Not unless life or safety is threatened, of yourself or someone else. And not even then, if you can work out a way to avoid it. No taking convenient excuses. Do I make myself clear? If you even so much as poke someone with a finger, I will take it very seriously. I suggest you work on reining in that temper."

"Understood", I say.

"Alright. And I'm switching your detention from Circe, to Hawthorne."

"Yes, ma'am."

She reaches into a drawer and picks out an armband, which she hands to me. "You're to wear this, when you are on the public parts of campus, in uniform and out. You can leave it off when wearing your gi or super suit for class. More can be obtained in the store if it needs replacing. That will be all."

"Yes, ma'am."

****11th January, 2007, the Lovecraft room, morning****

Sara says, "I suppose that wasn't so bad", as the me with her snuggles back against her and makes contented, massage-loving sounds.

"I suppose", I echo, although being labelled as violent does sting. "I wonder why she switched the detention around?"

"I think she wanted you to be seen by others", Sara says. And then with a giggle, "Perhaps Circe needs a rest, too. Anyhow, don't worry, I'll help introduce you around. Although I think a lot of them already know of you. We monsters are somewhat their mascots."

Other me ports in, hands me the armband, and vanishes. For some reason, I'm just not feeling up to Poe, or anywhere where I'm not wrapped around with beloved friends. At least until those dream memories calm a bit. Instead, stepping carefully around the still-sleeping others, I head to Sara's en-suite bathroom, with her following.

"This time", she says, "I mean not to get interrupted. Let's run you a proper bath and soak that tension out."

I'm happy to be putty in her hands as she runs the tub and then gets in behind me to hug and soap me. Mmm, nice. I really need to figure out how Paige's purr works so I can copy it. Sara's claws are the sort that are always out, but she's so gentle with them.

"You know, I really really love you", I say. Yeah, I know, it's really just burbling but there's no way a mere language can hold the immensity of how much I feel.

"I really, really love you too, cutie, even if you are a trouble magnet", Sara teases. Then thoughtfully adds, "I think, Erin kind of idolises you too. You were busy talking to the head, and I had a bit of time to pop into Doyle and visit her. She says thanks, of course. But I think it goes beyond that. When she was all alone, you came for her, and you fought for her. You chose to throw your life at the enemy, over and over, rather than take the easy way out and tie her back to her abuser. You deflated him and made him surrender and took his minions away. And then brought security down on him. I think she pretty much worships you now. Maybe she'll take your mark?"

"I have no idea how to make one", I say. "If she asks... I'll think about it. Would that mean she's connected to you too, with me as the conduit?"

Sara giggles. "I dunno. I don't think there's ever been two of us like this, with one marked to the other."

"I am very, very happy to be the first, then" I say. "Love you literally forever. My soul loves your soul."

"Silly", she says, and kisses my neck. "Mmm, you just reminded me of a thing. I need to quit stalling, and introduce you to my cult."

"I wasn't going to push", I say. "I know you aren't completely comfortable with it."

"Your little adventure got me thinking. Maybe I've been setting the bar too high for myself", she says. "Like... every hymn of praise to Jove, to Zeus, temples, plays, statues, great works of art, were aimed at that narcissistic... thing, presently sitting in a locked room in Kane and contemplating federal kidnapping charges. Just an over-egged, arrogant spirit, who used to have essence to burn. His own humans outshine him in every way." She pauses for a moment, thinking. "I've been saying to myself, how can I be the world saviour they think I am? How can I be the great goddess they love? But perhaps I've been looking at it backwards. What if they own the things they do in my name? Then my role is less to step in and make everything better, and more to be there, inspiring them."

"I know you do step in where you can", I say. "But yes, you inspire others. And they love you. And value your teachings, which are more than you know."

She pauses before replying. "A fair fraction of what I had planned to do, you've already achieved, you know that?" She leans her head against me. "If I'm an inspiration, so are you. I almost feel like my purpose is over."

I feel I have to put my foot down a little. "Silly! This business with changing the world, undoing the harm, dealing properly with he-who-shan't-be-named, it's one little war in both of our much longer lives, and in a thousand years time, we'll look back on it with amusement. Weren't we so grim and determined! Your purpose is yourself, and what you love and value. What that means is going to change constantly, but it will never be gone. You, for yourself, are valuable, love. You, for yourself, are beloved."

A pause while she thinks about that. Then, "Alright", she says, sounding a bit determined. "I'm going to arrange a conference for my people, and introduce you to them. A global one. Where though? It would be no good to bring them here, the school's supposed to be a secret. Hmm, maybe daddy can host?"

"I figure he could make changes to the layout there, easy enough." I giggle at the audacity of the idea. "First ever off-world religious conference held on the domain of one of the actual religious figures involved, and chaired by the other? I think governments around the globe will have kittens at what it implies. If you want to get fancy, you could even invite leading figures from other religions. The Pope and whatnot. Make an international occasion of it?"

She giggles too. "Some of them don't like me, but it might be fun to offer them invitations anyhow, and see who accepts. They wouldn't dare misbehave on daddy's home ground. If they even dare to set foot on it."

"I bet if you invite Englund, he accepts", I say. Which makes her laugh.

"He's not really a leading figure in anything. But I might, for the amusement value. I think you're right. He'd see himself as Daniel marching into the lions' den."

"If we do, I might have to hide away my pregnant self for a bit", I say. "he'd report me to the Head in a heartbeat. And I'm not sure how she'd take it. I'm pretty sure that 'I'm not even on the same planet' is not in the list of permitted excuses."

"Especially as you totally were when you did the nasty", Sara teases. "Right in your dorm in Poe, on the icky cheapskate carpet. Scandalous. Might have to be awhile before we openly admit that one."

"You reckon we'll ever be able to?" I'm a little surprised.

"If your influence continues doing what we think it is. Eventually, the Head is going to start saying, oh what's a little pregnancy between friends?"

The idea cracks me up in a fit of giggles. "New school rule, clothing is now optional."

Sara picks it up, "Students are reminded that although the rule against fraternization has been dropped, they should not take this as an excuse to block the corridors."

"Please obtain a permission slip from the house mother before arranging your orgy."

We both are giggling too hard to carry on. Although it's definitely a weird thought. I wonder if it will happen?

Our game of speculation is interrupted by Paige peeping around the door. "Are you two turned into prunes yet? Because we should really get a move on if we want breakfast."

Eep, lost track of time. A teleport takes me out of the bath and bone dry, resulting in a huge and somewhat messy sploosh as the water rushes in to fill the hole. Sara awws, but I grab a towel and offer her a hand up out of the water, then get to towelling her off, which returns a smile to her face - and is fun to do while naked. And while being watched by a very cute Paige with a twitching tail.


	43. Part 43

# # Part forty three

****11th January, 2007, Crystal Hall, breakfast****

I do my usual split up trick, as our group makes its way into the hall. I feel like, I've been neglecting the Kimbas a bit, and although I had reason, I want to patch that up.

I touch in on the crystal, "Hi, everyone. Sorry for the fast fade last night, I was feeling a bit shocky."

"Nah, no worries", Billie says. "I totally get it. Adrenaline wears off, and suddenly the whole horror thing jumps you. We've all been there. You doing okay now?"

I nod. "Yeah, a bath and joking around with Sara and I'm feeling a lot better. Uh, that said, there's some stuff I should talk about. Out of earshot of the rest of the school, though."

Ayla asks, "All of us?"

"One of the things is an everyone thing. The other, it's more just catching people up, and Nikki and Toni and Chou already know about it. I can put both of them off if you're busy?"

Ayla shakes his head. "Let me go have a short conversation with the chefs, then that's all my business here. We have team tactics right after this, but we could fit a short meeting in if we hurry finishing our food."

A few minutes later, we're bunched up in Nikki and Toni's room, with the anti snoop spell up. "So spit it out", Toni says, "I know the half of it, but it sounds like that ain't the important half?"

I nod. "Okay, so I got external confirmation yesterday of something that I've been wondering about for a few days now. I'm generating some sort of influence. There's definitely a proximity effect, right now I'm not sure if that's all there is. I might have made it universal, if slower, on Monday evening."

Jade asks, "What kind of influence? Like, you're putting the whammy on us?"

I say, "Not deliberately, it seems to be an effect of being around me. It makes people sexually less inhibited. Even the ones not able to have a sex drive, like Jamie, they get more snuggly and accepting of what the others are up to. Definitely I've been affecting the Pack. I've already spoken to them about it. I'm not sure if I'm affecting you all yet, but it's likely to happen unless you push me way back, and I'm not sure if even that will be enough in the end."

Jade says, "I don't think the sexual part is getting me, but, last night, Oneesan, I wanted to snuggle up?"

Billie nods. "And I didn't mind you jumping in my bed. I think neither of us two is being hit by the sex side. Which it implies it leaves people alone if they didn't already have much of a sex drive. But yeah, snuggling might be a thing."

Nikki is blushing red, and looks down. "I um, may have had a few fantasies after what you told us yesterday, Jules. And god, the fact I'm even admitting it in front of everyone... yeah, you're having an effect on us."

"Shit", Toni says. "Thought it was just me. Okay, what do we do about it?"

"Do we even want to do anything?" Ayla asks. "I mean, it's freaky to realise it's some sort of uncanny power, but Nikki disinhibited is not a bad thing."

Which gets him pelted with pillows by said redhead. "Ass! I don't know. Let me bring Aung in."

A lengthy pause, then, "An interesting effect, indeed. It is not magical, but now that I look with attention, I can see it. You are attuning others to your own nature. Through the change in fundamental magical law, it has become their nature, too. And your presence pulls them towards it more rapidly... I do not think this can be easily avoided. You are right to worry it may become universal, as the change is already present in all." And she fades back out of Nikki's posture.

"Well shit indeed." Toni's looking a bit shocky. "I need time to think about this. Spit out the other thing so at least we can have a laugh at your expense before we head off to class."

I blush, take a deep breath. "Okay, so. I, um, kinda got myself pregnant. Deliberately. And then couldn't make myself give it up. And I'm hiding that body far off campus because I mean to go all the way through with it. Please don't blab it around, I might get expelled."

Silence. Toni and Fey look at each other, they knew.

"You got *yourself* pregnant?" Billie asks. "I mean, I get how it works, but damn, I hear banjos."

"She has control over genetics, don't you Jules?" Jade says. "I don't think she'd do anything bad that way."

I nod. "Junior's as healthy as a one day old zygote gets. Genetically and in every other way. Being inside me is about as safe a place for a baby as anywhere on Earth."

"Couldn't wait to get started taking over the world huh?", Ayla asks. "We're out of time, but damn. If that's the level of disinhibition we can expect to eventually arrive at..."

"Specially if we can expect the entire world there, give or take a decade or two", Toni adds. "Damn girl, I don't even have words."

Nor does anyone else really, they have to hurry to class, but Jade stops me on the way out. "Can I see? Junior, that is."

I nod. "Absolutely. Whenever you're free."

"We'll talk at lunch", she promises with a grin.

Tuesdays and Thursdays I have the same classes, but last Tuesday morning I was in a coma, so it's my first time for two of them, devisor lab in one through three, and costume design in three. The others are math in one (It's dull enough I'm going to see if I can test out of it), and necromancy with Sara in one and two. A few well placed teleports save me a lot of rushed walking.

Devisor lab is underground as one would expect. I peek in. It's a little quiet, all the combative types being tied up with team tactics until third period. The one person I recognise immediately is Jericho, although we haven't met in person, he's obvious enough from what I've read. He and a couple of others are busy pouring themselves what smells like coffee from an enormous urn.

Jericho's the one to come over, as I'm looking around the door tentatively. "Oho, fresh meat, are you lost? Looking for someone?"

"Looking for devisor lab class", I say. "I missed last Tuesday's one. So this is my first."

"Missed last Tuesday..." he puts two and two together. "You're Parallel! Which means, if the rumour mill is accurate, you've been a busy bee."

"The same", I admit. "And busier than you know. Fight aliens on Friday, change the universe on Monday, break up a kidnapping on Wednesday..."

He does the Spock eyebrow thing. It's clear he's practised it. "At some future date, I would love to hear every one of those stories. Some of it, I can already guess. So you are a devisor as well?"

"Gadgeteer, equivalent, and new to it", I say. "Technologically, because I read the whole library last Saturday. And got a bit of practise in with Bugs, on Sunday. Biologically, because I'm kinda not entirely human, and the not-part is very good at biology. I don't have my own rules, but I can dance with the regular ones."

"Eeeexcellent", he draws the word out. "We devisors badly need gadgeteers to try and weed out the rule-breaking and commercialize our designs. You may end up low monkey on the totem pole for a bit, but you'll make a lot of friends. So, do you like coffee?"

I laugh, the innocent question has the feel of a test to it. "Hit me."

He grins. "The attitude, I like it, yes. One cup of mud, coming up."

Devisor coffee is what happens when you take a group of people who break the laws of physics for fun, and set them the task of extracting literally everything from the coffee bean. I wouldn't be surprised if the spent grounds came out white. It's intense. And rather nice. Even if I do have to nudge a couple of parameters in my liver bring the toxicity down to tolerable.

"Mmm, I like it." He's looking at me intensely. "Expected more reaction?"

"First time I tried devisor coffee, I was talking so fast they had to record me and play me back at quarter speed. I didn't sleep for a week. It's normally an acquired taste."

"Not entirely human", I remind him. "I could probably swig cyanide, and all it would cost me is a bit of hurried reconfiguring my enzymes to clean it up. Let's just say, I acquire tastes quickly."

"Curiouser and curiouser. Well, come and meet the others. MD, Techwolf, this is Parallel, she's new."

MD is an older kid, tall and thin and wearing a lab coat. Techwolf is a werewolf. I remember reading about him, he's under a curse. I shake hands with both. "Hi, yeah, I'm a new gadgeteer, I know tech although I'm not very practised with it, and I know biology pretty well."

Bugs comes panting in, late to class. I wave to her as she comes in, and she grins and comes over to join our group.

"So yeah, I'm MD, my actual code name is Mega-Death, don't tease me about it please, just call me MD. I'm a devisor, focused on technology."

"Harry Wolfe, Techwolf, gadgeteer, technologist. Jobe's the best bio guy, but he isn't here until later."

"We met, he seemed to not hate me", I say.

"Oh, I get it. That glowing stuff", Bugs says. "That was you, wasn't it? It impressed him."

"Technically, another part of me made it, the less human part, but yeah", I say. "And the idea was mine."

"What was it for?" Bugs asks. "I mean, I saw the light show, but it doesn't really explain itself. Why was it flashing out of Doyle?"

"It was for finding Feral when she was kidnapped", I say, remembering just in time to use Erin's codename. "Then it all connected up and flashed, to lead security to her. Except it was carrying on finding her, after she was safe and being treated in Doyle. I built it to keep working until it ran out of juice."

That gets nods all around, engineers appreciate simplicity of design. "Something you've been working on for awhile?", MD asks.

"Nope, Big Me just put it together on the fly Wednesday evening", I say. "It was pretty simplified though. A few tropisms, pseudopod motion, preloaded energy, luciferin for the flashing. Cut down DNA. Not a full lifeform, just a tool for a task. Call it a bio-golem."

"A cell-sized bio-golem you dropped over the school in astoundingly vast quantities", Jericho points out.

"The school and about a ten mile radius", I agree. "We slapped it together from atmospheric materials and a few created trace elements. Big spell."

That gets whistles. "Big as *fuck* spell", says MD. "You're impressive."

I don't share that it was really well over a trillion highly precise tiny spells, one per created cell, with the big spell only coordinating deployment, because that would probably scare them. Instead I just say, "Aw shucks. Just looking out for a friend."

"That I can get behind", says Jericho.


	44. Chapter 44

# # Part forty four

As the necromancy class is getting ready to begin, I fill Sara in over the mark about the meeting with the Kimbas. She's particularly interested in what Aunghadhail said.

"Aha, bingo! So they get pulled into resonance with you, and it moves them along the way they were already going, but lots faster. That makes sense of it, because I've been wondering, why does it seem you have more of an influence than me? Did you know they used to worry about me turning the whole school into an orgy with my lust aura? Never happened, sadly. Months and months, and the prudishness needle hasn't moved a jot, except for my closest lovers."

"Maybe it will now", I tease.

"You joke, but maybe. You changed the lay of the land. You're definitely pulling 'em downhill now. Maybe I am too?"

"I hope so, you'll be a good influence" (which makes her call me a flatterer and me send the sensation of a kiss down the link). "For me, I think I was having some effect on Paige before Monday. Perhaps Donna, when we first met, we spent a lot of time up close. But that's it, really. But then I changed everything, and big me got involved... I think she has more of an effect than I do."

"Wouldn't surprise me", Sara agrees. "I wonder how big an effect I'd have if I brought Kellith forward?"

"Fun to find out", I chuckle. "Still, the big takeaway from that is, Aung definitely thinks it's planet wide. Even without me dragging them, they'll eventually roll downhill on their own. Maybe it takes decades, but it'll happen. Willing or no."

"Could probably be fought", she agrees. "But it would be a nightmare, they'd be pushing against the grain. Any slip, they slide." A chuckle from her. "I really am looking forward to finding out where this ends up. It seems like it's going to be a great deal of fun. I just hope it doesn't cause too much bloodshed. Some of the humans will kick against it, you know?"

"I may have to run around rescuing people for a bit", I agree.

"Silly", she says, but it's fond.

I change the subject a little, "I'm guessing, none of the Kimbas picked up on my new armband because they were just so rushed and I'd dropped two bombshells already. But I bet they saw it." And indeed, I'm already getting worried looks from the gentler-looking kids in this class.

"Don't let it bother you", she of the unfair, negotiated armband says. "It tells people it isn't safe to pick on you. I hope, none of them needed telling."

"Honestly, in most cases it is pretty safe to pick on me", I say. "What I can't ignore, I can mostly run away from. But it might save me hassle, so that's an upside."

"The downside is having to work harder to be seen as nice", she agrees.

I put an arm around her, as Ms Grimes comes in and the class hushes. "We'll get around to that too. All shall love you and despair", I misquote, and cause her to stifle a giggle.

In today's class, Ms Grimes tells us we'll be studying the history of necromancy, and various famous necromancers and resulting zombie rampages. Sadly, Anita Blake is not among their number, that might have been amusing. I do find it interesting anyway, although to be honest, I am just happy to be where Sara is, for almost any reason. Other me is happily chatting away with the devisors over a second cup of borderline-toxic coffee. But soon enough the class draws to an end.

Costume design is next, and Sara isn't in it. I guess she's not the super suit type? I brought mine along in my bag, and it's clear she doesn't have any objections to them on principle. As we walk over, I say "I never really got to ask, but why didn't you want to take this one with me?"

She considers. "There's not much point in me having a suit. I can still put my tentacles through it like you do, but you know, only once? Even Cecilia can't work around that. Me and Jet had talks about wearing her as a suit. That still is kind of a possibility, but it has its risks and downsides, she's vulnerable a few ways I'm not, and she can't be recast until we can fix her curse. But really, I suppose it was never a priority. I'm not into the superheroing thing, you know?"

I put an arm around her. "More like you can't see yourself as a hero. But you totally are."

"Bah, perceptive. Nosy."

I give her a kiss. "Maybe later, we'll work out some sort of suit for you. Just to let you feel the whole, whee I'm a superhero thing, for funsies."

"Maybe", she says, in a don't wanna talk about it way. So I just keep her hugged as we walk. I'll wear her down with love.

Hugging her goodbye until lunch, I head in. The teacher's already there, an older woman in a dress that looks like it was made from sofa fabric, chatting to a couple of other students. I head over, wait for a pause in the conversation. "Hi, I'm Parallel, sorry that I missed any introductions on Tuesday."

"Ah yes, you were in the hospital?" I nod. "Good to see you safely up and about, then. I'm Mrs Ryan. If I recall, you're new in school this term?"

"Yes, I missed all the regular classes, and got dropped into the middle of a heap of electives", I say. "I hope not being in last term's costume classes won't set me back too badly?"

"This is a very informal class. For most of them, I'm helping them tune and improve the design of what they already have. For you, I may have to cover a few of the basics. Do you already have a costume?"

I think perhaps she expected me not to have one, but I pull it out. She takes it from my hands and looks. "Ah, I recognise the work, you went right to Cecilia, which means it will at least be competently made. Could you put it on for me? Changing room in there." I nod. Once I'm in the room, a teleport drops the uniform in a pile, tentacles hold the new suit and I step in and zip up with a glow, slap on the domino mask, the whole process takes only about five seconds and then I've got my uniform in arm and step back out. Which gets a curious look form her. "Commendably fast. Hmm, let me look. Spin please. Thank you. What are the special features?"

"Well, this", I say - and vanish. Except for teeth and eyes. I'm suddenly drawing a bit of attention, so I put on an only-slightly-sharp smile, and reappear. "And it lets me put my claws out", I do, from both feet and fingertips, then pop them back in. "And I can glow through it", I do a few patterns of light. "My tentacles go through it too", I show one from my upper arm. That gets a raised eyebrow.

"Alright. That is certainly a very competent costume to stand out, and to fight in. I can't tell if you intend it to look heroic or villainous?"

"More to just be a bit uncanny, and then if need be, to work well with my psychological warfare."

"Oh? A demonstration, please?"

Well, if she insists. Eyes closed, mouth closed, and I vanish completely. A short silent teleport a little to the side. Pause, let her wonder.

She looks around. "Hmm? Yes, I can see you're invisible."

I let my photophores show a little speck of dancing pink light over my forehead to draw attention, as I'm extending my teeth, lips closed, then I snap my eyes open, mouth open wide sideways, teeth at full extent, and flash a tracery of light down my body - and along my extended claws for just an instant.

Well, it works. She takes a step right back, stumbles and sits down with a bump. Life sense has her pegged as "prey, terrified", heh. I put the teeth and claws away and come visible again. "Kinda like that."

Okay, lotta attention now. And more than a few other people registering as badly scared. I guess I did not win miss congeniality points today.

Standing up, significant greyer than before, Mrs Ryan nods. "I did ask. I will be more careful about that in future." A pause. "Yes, it works very well with that, indeed. Please do not do that again. And I think, that does come down more than a little on the villain side." She nods, visibly gathering herself. "And I understand the obvious aquatic metaphor much better now, too."

Not really a welcome assessment. "Well, I don't plan to harm anybody who isn't harming me, or my friends." Yes, that sounds like whining to me too.

"But you want them good and scared, if they are", she says. Which... yeah, is fair. She continues, "Some costumes, what they want the opponent to feel, is that they are facing justice, or goodness, or righteous force. Yours sends the rather clear message 'hello lunch, run or die'. A different emphasis."

And here's me, slapped in the face with the fact I've been thinking like Skitter. "Uh, I see. Yeah, I suppose that's true. If someone makes themselves a problem, I want them to stop."

"Which they will. The main risk is that they will return in force with torches and pitchforks." She smiles. "So, today's assignment is to think of how you'd modify your look to change the meaning of your costume to something less villainous. Not that I expect you to, this is a hypothetical exercise."

I nod, and we get to brainstorming. And the room around me gradually feels calmer and less shocky.

As class lets out, Sara's there waiting, with Jet. She pulls me into a hug which Jet joins too. "Hey there, sweetie, I felt you get a bit upset there, I didn't want to interrupt, want to talk about it?" And so the three of us chat as we walk towards lunch about villainous costumes and their upsides and downsides. I think both of them feel "run or die" is a perfectly reasonable message for a costume to send. Maybe I'm not the only one having an influence. The cheerful chaos aura the whole J-team puts out might be a bit infectious. It's an amusing thought.


	45. Part 45

# # Part forty five

"Hi girls! Apologies for stopping you." The tall, brown haired man looks at me. "Would you be Miss Parallel?" Jeans, tee shirt, cowboy boots, light clothing for the chill but otherwise nothing much distinctive about him except the mala he's wearing like a bracelet.

Sara and Jet move to each side of me - feels like they're guarding me. But we don't yet know this guy and whether he's going to be a problem. "Yes, that's me, how can I help you?"

"Pardon me for the rudeness. I'm Dyffud Harraz, code name Journeyman. I've been teaching martial arts lessons for your friends Fey and Chou, and instructing Tennyo on the side. I just wanted to meet the young lady who's been causing a such a splash. Ladies, please stand down, I don't mean your friend any harm." So he noticed. Well, I suppose a martial instructor would. I also notice neither Sara nor Jet is standing down just because *he* told them to.

I smile. Yes, with a little bit of pointy tooth shown. "I guess that's me, although last night's spectacular was more me clearing up other people's messes. Did you want to see me about classes?"

"Are you really a larval Great Old One?" That's not something that's public knowledge here, so I'm curious what he's up to.

I tilt my head. "Are you trying to provoke a reaction? Please don't bandy that about outside. There might be people with enhanced hearing around. I'm not exactly keeping it a secret, but I think the Head's right that some people would over-react. Yes, I am." Not saying about Sara, that's her secret not mine.

Hmm, didn't I read about this guy? Oh yes, I think I did.

"Don't worry, I'd know if there were", he says. And I think he's telling the truth, if he's who I think. He continues, "Yes, I was trying to provoke a bit of a reaction, and see what one of you looks like, up close. And I'm interested by what I see. You're a careful one, aren't you?"

That feels like a word game I'd as soon not get drawn into. "Did you have anything in particular you wanted beside curiosity? Because if not, apologies, but I need to head to lunch."

"I have your friends for a lesson tomorrow, fourth period. I'd like you to come along."

He hasn't been the most polite, but I suspect it was some sort of a test, what I read doesn't peg the guy as an asshole, but he might be a trickster. "Alright, I will see you there. If that's all?"

"It is, thank you for an interesting conversation." And he just goes.

Jet asks, "You really said yes to him, why? He was being an ass."

"Because I think I know who he is" I say. "And I figure, his class would be useful. Also I'm not sure if he really is an ass or was just baiting me. Perhaps he was curious to see me with his own eyes?"

She just looks at me, "Well, if you say so."

Devisor me has returned to Poe to check emails. There's already one confirming Journeyman's class tomorrow, as well as a note that I should go to another shrink appointment after lunch. I guess I'm on the intensive list for them. Security wants to see me after lessons, I presume it's to wrap up last night's mess. And one from a J. Donner, "We have to meet." Oh! Of course, it's Jo, Paige's sister. So I write back "Sure, whenever you'd like."

Meanwhile I'm going to spend awhile browsing stuff on the internet to see if I can't fancy up this room, because seriously, ick. I'll vanish when I get annoyingly hungry.

Walking into Crystal Hall is the usual crush, although I'm pretty sure I'm getting more looks. And none of the usual shoulder-barging. Heh, I suppose I'm a Name now. Although I suppose there's the armband, too. I split, and go look for edible things while parking myself at the two tables.

Over at the Kimba table, after I touch in, Ayla's showing everyone pictures of what looks like tar-dipped Peeper and another kid I haven't met, with a looney-tunes, "bomb blew up in my face" look.

"What's with those two?" I ask.

Which gets them looking at each other, then Nikki says, "Oh! Of course, you're not on the spots, you wouldn't have heard. Those two idiots were making shoulder angels. Ayla took some snaps after the Alphas told them to stop."

"Lemme guess, soft-porn ones?"

Nikki nods with a disgusted look. "Yeah, no surprise there. And booby-trapped ones too, so be careful what you do to them if you find some."

"Got it", I say. "Although honestly, I don't think this fool fad will last much longer. No offence Jade, yours are funny."

"Aww, she likes us!" A voice from my shoulder... yup, she got me too. A miniature version of me with a halo and wings on one side, and a much toothier one on the other side with a pitchfork, who replies, "She likes me, numbnuts, who would like a feather-brain like you?"

I crack up laughing.

Over at the other table, the Pack's all there except Erin - she really should be out of Doyle by now, so I'm wondering where she is and if everything is okay - but then I see her. And not just her. All four of the New Olympians I cut loose yesterday are with her, too. And they all come over to the Pack table. "Could we join you?" Judicator asks.

I look to Sara, it's her table, and she nods. "Of course." It's suddenly a very full table. And we are drawing serious looks. About half of a major faction, sitting down with the demon-girl and her nerd harem? Yeah, it's an event.

"We wanted to thank you", Judicator says. "My... old memories tell me he wasn't always like that, but maybe they are lies I told myself to make tolerable what I couldn't change. Regardless, he has been unstable this life, he has not taken well to being diminished. And what you did on Monday I feel sent him off the deep end. It was so clearly larger than him. I feel, if you hadn't come and saved us, he'd have dragged us all down."

"I presume they'll send him to juvie jail, and I hope he gets the help he needs to adjust there", I say, "And I'm glad I was able to get you all safely. How about the other three?"

Knick-knack says, "He says he's taken all the compulsions off them, but they still don't trust themselves around you, so they're eating in their rooms. They all want free, even if they don't like you much. Being tied to his whims, now, would be worse than owing you one."

Tracer says, "Counterpoint's spitting mad, pacing the cell and obsessing. He thinks you got him with a cheap shot. He wants a rematch so bad. I'd watch your tail if he ever gets out of juvie."

"I'll swat that bug when I come to it", I say. (Hippolyta backs me up with "He should hope he does not get out!") I continue, "And himself?"

"Moping", says Knick-knack.

Judicator expands on that with "He has accepted the scale of his defeat. That it was obvious he never had you in his power, but rather, you sprang the trap because you knew you could take the cheese. He saw his lightning strike you and not kill. He saw his warrior kill you, over and over, and make no headway, and then be struck down at a stroke. He is saying, 'I am not a god, I was never a god'. I think it has broken his self image completely."

I sigh, and decide to share a thought I've been having with them. "You know, people have been writing to me, wanting to worship me like a goddess? And I feel responsibility for them. And all the humans. I did a big thing on Monday and it's going to affect everyone more than they know. And part of me is really big, really powerful. So I suppose it's not a lie. But you know, I could use friends, and perhaps, advisers with experience? Because letting it go to my head would be bad."

Tracer laughs. "Yeah, we can do that. We were wondering what to do, with our group pretty much broken up now. I think some of us will hang together, some of us will go our separate ways, but I think any of us would be willing to advise." That gets nods from all around.

Erin says, "For me, I owe you my whole life. I'm certain he'd have killed me slowly, once he had me back in his control. You came for me, and you saved me, so I'm yours. Property, pet, however you want me." She comes around and kneels next to my seat, clearly serious about it.

I reach down to stroke her hair. "We'll start with beloved friend, and see where it develops from there", I say. "I've seen how wild your nature is. I don't want to cause you pain."

"Loyal companion", she says. "That's something even wild creatures understand."

I smile. "Then that works great for me." And she leans against my leg, smiling.

Over on the Kimba table, everyone's watching the show. Toni says. "Another one for your harem, huh?" Which makes the others giggle and me blush. And then she continues. "So, don't think we're gonna wait forever for you to explain it. What the hell is with that armband? Don't tell me the Head put that on you for last night's business."

I nod. "She did. She's not completely wrong. I was pretty harsh on them. I did let my temper make me snap."

"You were saving people!"

"She pointed out I've probably left Majestic with PTSD. She was under compulsion."

"Bah. You rushed in to save a friend, you assembled a posse, and you made it happen. I say we make you an honorary Kimba."

"Seconded", says Billie.

"You did a brave thing. Welcome to the team", says Jade with a grin. "We should get bugs to make her a spot. That's a subspace comms thingy, Jules."

The others all nod. Ayla says, "You're going to have to work hard on martial arts if you want to join us in the sims. Some of us were complete newbies when we began here, but we studied all fall." So I tell them about the encounter with Journeyman, and Fey and Chou agree he was definitely testing me. They'll show me where the lesson is tomorrow. And his teaching might help me catch up.

I tell the Pack and friends that it seems I've become a Kimba now, and that gets a lot of giggles. Yes, evidently that *was* a Kimba style rescue. Well, except for working with security, which they generally don't, but even so, swarming the opposition with a flood of bodies fits their signature overkill style. "They don't stop, they work together, and they're ridiculously overpowered", Judicator says. "If you want subtlety, I'm not sure they're up to it. But if you want someone to barge in like an elephant and then somehow make that work through sheer firepower, they are your team." I think she's teasing, but everyone giggles at the image.

After lunch, I've got combat movement, and I get to be shrunk again. But before I can head out, Jade stops me. "Don't say you've forgot?"

Oops. "Sorry, I did, so much going on and it put it out of my mind. But when are you free? I can take you over, but it's not somewhere you can get to on your own."

"Sixth period", she says. "Although it'll have to be short, I've got my job. But oh my god, I'm going to see your Junior!"

"Wait, what, you're pregnant?" Jet says. Right in the entrance to Crystal Hall. And slaps a hand over her mouth as she realises that's in earshot of half the school.

"Meant to mention it. Been busy", I say with a wince. "Let's get out of here before the gossip wave reaches someone important."


	46. Part 46

# # Part forty six

In Poe, I've done ordering some stuff to brighten up the room. Can't really do much about the carpet. except chuck a rug over it, so I got one of those, and some plants, and a tapestry for the wall. Since this body has gone hungry and it's already fourth period with the food counter shut, I don't plan to keep it around much longer, but I'll check emails again before I go.

Oh huh, one from a "Mrs P." and the content is just "Admit everything." Ah yes, I remember her, she tinkered in Sara's successful escape from Sydney. Very well, I'll remember that advice. It seems like the kind of thing where the right time to do it will become obvious once it arrives.

I shut the laptop, but before I vanish, there's a knock on the door. So I say, "come in?"

It's, surprisingly, Mrs Horton, the house mother. "Ah, good, I had a bit of a feeling I'd find you in. I have something to discuss with you, if you have a moment?"

"Of course", I say.

"You know that we don't usually give out singles here?", she asks. I nod. "Right. You were given a room alone because of your unexpected arrival. However, it would be more normal for you to be doubled up, and in fact, if another student were to be admitted, they would automatically be assigned as your room-mate. That hasn't happened. However, something else has - a student has just emailed me, asking to transfer into your room." I must have looked surprised because she continues, "It doesn't happen a lot, but everyone's allowed to ask to move. And this student is currently solo herself, so all things being equal I'd prefer to accept. However there are special circumstances and as a result I need to check it with you. There is a reason she has a single - she has a tendency to depart in the middle of the night and return dragging in animals she has hunted. Her previous room-mates did not approve. It's bad enough to find a mouse on the carpet, let alone the hind quarters of a small deer."

I make the connection. "Erin? Erin is at Poe?"

"She is, although it's no surprise you haven't seen her around. She makes herself quite scarce and doesn't use the common areas."

"Erin is absolutely welcome to share the room with me", I say, mentally correcting the tendency to call it 'my room'. "I don't mind the hunting, although I might ask her to get a freezer."

Mrs Horton smiles. "Excellent, I shall inform her she may move her things in at her leisure. Thank you for being so understanding."

"It's not a problem", I say. "She's a friend."

Which gets an approving nod. "Good. I believe that young lady needs friends."

While I'm over with Doc Bellows talking through the fight and its aftermath, it's a strange sort of echo to have combat movement class on the other side, and a comfort to have Sara beside me. She's happy to hear Erin is going to move in with me. It should make Poe less lonely for both of us, and also give us a little more physical security.

I'm not exactly distracted in the class, being who I am I can just task a few of me to pay it close attention, and it's all getting written to memory, but it's not where most of my attention is. Instead I'm worrying about the gossip surely spreading after Jet let the mama cat out of the bag (which she is very sorry for, and I forgive her completely, but it doesn't undo it).

Admit everything, said Mrs P, and since I trust her - and honestly, I trust the Head too - I'm going to admit it when challenged. Which won't take long, I think. But what then?

If they kick me out of the school, I suppose I've got ARC to fall back on, and I shouldn't have trouble self-educating about regular things, but I'll fall short on the special curriculum here. I may have to ask Sara to relay what she can. Being outside Whateley would increase my risk from the local MiBs. And while I probably *could* fight them, I'd rather not be the next scary global menace. That could be a nuisance. I'd probably have to find powerful allies, and ones I could morally accept. That's a difficult possible future.

What if the Head says I can stay - if I abort Junior? I suppose it's fairly likely I could keep contact with Junior's soul side and re-insert her later, but it bothers me. She's already a "someone" to me, even a day old, and that's the boundary between shrugging off killing a few cells, and mourning someone I already feel close to. I'm not sure. It would be a painful decision either way. I hope it's not forced upon me. I might tell her no.

What if she allows it? I did technically slip through the gaps in her prohibition, I made myself pregnant, not anybody else, not Sara. She's sure to close that gap now, but might be persuaded she can't bring the hammer down too hard on me for Junior. I can certainly make a solid argument that Junior is not a distraction in school, won't interfere with my studies, won't be neglected, and will have a place to stay, food, safety, and companionship. If of a slightly unconventional sort. And that I'll be an excellent parent, because I can always give my full attention. I'm not sure whether she'd want me to hide it around school. I'm not fond of lying, so I suppose I could just say "none a ya beeswax" until the rumour fades for lack of visible support. Downside is, the whole aura thing is going to be hard to hide under that level of scrutiny. And in a pile of geniuses this big, someone will figure I don't have to be pregnant over *here*.

There's something else, too... the Head was around big me, when she was watching her cast the search spell. She's been around me a fair amount, the last few days. She might already have been pulled into my influence. Which bodes well for Junior, since she's likely going to be feeling "that seems too much fuss for a small problem". But, I think Mrs P's everything includes the influence, too. At least, I'd feel I was leaving things off if I didn't mention it. Gah, this might be troublesome. The Head is surely going to think I'll corrupt her school. And I will, no doubt about it - or more precisely, I already did, but being here will surely drag everyone that-a-way at some undefined faster rate. I can't honestly deny that, and I have no way of knowing if I could even slow it down. It's not a voluntary act.

I get a poke from the mark. "Hey there, miss distracted. I can hear your thoughts spinning around in there. What's up?"

So I open up the link and show Sara what I've been thinking. She sends the sensation of an arm around me, and love and reassurance. "No matter what, you've got me, and my people. And Daddy too, he really loves you, you know? You've become family, and we don't neglect family. I don't think the Donners would neglect you, either, they like you."

"Love you too, and all the family", I agree, letting her feel my head snuggling against her shoulder, accepting the comfort. "Do you think she's going to blow up about my influence?"

"I'm sure Englund is", she says. "If the Head doesn't feel too bothered about it, he's going to push the line that it's the influence talking, and she should recuse herself. He won't even be wrong. You'll need an answer to that one."

I show her what I saw, last night in the lesson. It's only a small sliver of evidence, it's not really even enough to make a case, but she whistles, and sends a grim feeling. "Yeah. That would explain a lot, to be honest. Damn, it's going to insulate him from being pulled in to your influence, if somebody else already has their hooks in him. It'll make him look like the last rational man standing, when he's the opposite."

"I could try pulling him in deliberately."

"You'd be in a tug-of-war with whoever's already pulling his strings. You might well lose. And it would cast your influence in a much darker light, if anyone found you were using it as a weapon."

"Fair point, scratch that. And on second thoughts, we need to be strategic about that suspicion. It's too important to waste on one girl's power struggle with her school. Much as that might seem of personal importance, there's a whole world out there."

Agreement. "I think you're right. Whoever's behind him, they're playing the larger game. We can't afford to treat him as just a personal enemy."

"Can we argue my influence isn't harmful?" Pulling back to the personal question for now. Although to be honest, that question is important in the big game too.

"Depends how you define harm. I think it'll make society a gentler, more connected and loving place. But it looks like it's gonna break a lot of taboos. Humans cling to those."

"We don't have enough data points", I say. "Donna and Paige and Petra are the only ones with any obvious taboo breaking."

"If the Head decides she doesn't care about your baby, it'll be another."

"True, but three points is pretty crap for data. Maybe ARC's monitoring will have something to show? A large scale effect is a bit more objective."

"Love, you only got here Monday last week. And your big light-show was two days ago. Most social indicators won't yet have even ticked once. You'd need a couple of months for a trend line and three to get a curve."

"Gah!" She's right, but it's frustrating. "Can you ask Donna anyhow? They might have at least something preliminary."

"Passing it on, now." There's a pause while she speaks, then, "She'll check. If they have anything, she'll tell me."

"Thanks", I send love for Sara, and for Donna too. I wonder if I can somehow get a link to Donna? Or even better, some sort of telepathic version of the subspace toys the Kimbas have, to link all our people.

Passing that idea to Sara gets thoughtful agreement. "Yeah, it could well be useful. I'm a hub at the moment, but only for some of them. No mark, no comms. I'll think about how."

I return to pondering my problem. "If we're going to get indicators, it's going to be here. Or ARC, but I've been here the most." And then I have a strange idea. But It kind of goes with 'admit everything' - "What if we poke WARS? Peeper wouldn't hate it if I gave another interview. I could make getting my message out first a condition of the deal. Then we'd get indications from the listeners when they dial in."

"Seriously, you're going to tell everyone who listens to WARS? You know, chances are fairly high you'd start serious trouble." Sara is clearly unconvinced.

"Everyone here will find out anyhow", I point out. "This place is going to be the epicentre, if they don't kick me out."

"WARS is global", Sara counters. "Their techno-trickery messes with the locality, shuffles codenames around a bit, but what you put on there will reach the planet, largely un-redacted. They send a feed to stations around the country, and it goes onto the internet." She sighs. "At least talk to Zenith first, she runs the station. She's far more sensible than Peeper. And less likely to weasel on a deal. You know her? She's in Poe."

"Know of her", I say. "All right. I'll look her up straight after classes."

And then the me that's watching the class nudges for my attention, everyone's standing up, we're headed over to the physical movement room to practise.

First time getting changed around classmates. This should be interesting.


	47. Part 47

# # Part forty seven

Reviewing what I recorded, the class was about cover and concealment, and a bit about camouflage, and how they relate to moving. Mostly the assumption in this class is unplanned combat, so we won't be training in ghillie suits or anything, but Mr Anderson covered the theory on the basis that sometimes, camouflage can be improvised, even if it's only grass stuffed in your clothes and hair to break up a head-and-shoulders outline.

Getting to the changing rooms means going through the physical training room, so I get a preview - he's got it rigged with several everyday objects (some of them painted props) such as a tree, a car, a low wall, a cross section of a ditch, a grassy mound. Should be interesting to practise.

The changing room is like so many others I've seen, designed without the least respect for privacy. Lockers against the wall, tatty much-inscribed wooden benches with gaps between the slats, cold tile floor. (Who builds these things, and are they human?) Lots of half-dressed girls. Well, no way to avoid flashing the room, given I need my sports underwear for this. Unzip the bag on the bench, a teleport drops my existing clothes. Tentacles loading up underwear ready to step into, then sweats. And I'm done in a matter of seconds, but I haven't avoided notice. Sara gives them the "your problem would be what?" glare while she's doing her own strip-down. Putting my stuff in the locker, I'm glad to have her here.

Uh-oh, looks like the patented Sara glare hasn't been enough to put all the gawpers in their places - here's someone who looks a bit like Elizabeth Taylor in teen form, with pretty violet eyes that are probably the nicest thing about her. She's finished changing into her sweats (tailored), and she walks over like she's morbidly curious about a new species of bug. Nudge from my larger self: there's a discrepancy between the body's emotions and my nonphysical selves. Psychic domination effect? It's causing feelings of shame. Okay, cut the local mind out of the loop.

"What are you?" Can't fault her for directness.

"Originally human, now not so much, why?" I know why, I'm baiting her.

"I meant are you a boy or a girl or a thing?"

"Why only pick one?"

"Because this is the girls' changing room, thing."

"Looks like your mind's made up. But I say I belong here, and bigots can fuck off."

Another girl comes up. "Leave it, Gwen. She went toe to toe with the New Olympians. She's got a blue band. You don't want the trouble."

"Can it, Barb", but this 'Gwen' pulls a disgust face, I can feel her pushing the shame hard at the local body, which is of course getting her nowhere. And then she backs off. "They'll let anyone in this fucking school."

Sara says, "Case in point, Sweetheart."

"Fuck off, demon bitch", the girl stomps out into the gym room.

As we head out too, I tell Sara down the mark that she was trying to mess with my head, and she sends acknowledgement. "That's Sweetheart, so called, psychic manipulator and bitch, with the Young Turks. Her friend's Bombshell, brick and bully, same group. Nuisances I'd like to swat some day."

"If you want a hand with that, I volunteer", I say.

"Deal. You know, she'll probably use her manipulation to push gossip the worst way?"

"Meh, I already wanted everyone to know. She'll be doing me a favour, twisted as that is."

My time-self reminds me I need to send a copy to Poe to meet Jade, so I do that, and then Mr Anderson blows the whistle to get everyone's attention, and the crawling-in-mud part of the lesson begins.

Landing in Poe, I vanish everything I'm wearing (and can't entirely shake the feeling of wanting a thorough shower to get the nastiness off me), before grabbing a more casual outfit out of the wardrobe. Jeans, sneakers, and a plain pastel pink tee shirt. Where we're going, it's warm.

Knock on the door. "Come on in!" Yup, it's Jade, with an excited grin.

"Hey, you look good, so where's the baby?"

"Close the door behind you, then open it", I say with a smile.

And of course the door doesn't open again onto Poe, but onto grass, with Gothmog smiling, and two of me (pregnant me dressed up in a tunic and short-shorts, because this is Jade and she doesn't need to see that stuff).

"Oh whoa, what? That is so cool. Where's this?"

"Off planet", I say, and Gothmog adds, "I'm Gothmog, we've met before. This is my realm, please do come in, miss Sinclair."

She pokes a finger through, pokes her head through through, then steps in, with me behind her, and the door closes and vanishes. She looks behind, "That's okay, right, it's meant to do that?"

I nod, "Yeah, it's cool."

Gothmog says. "I can open another to return you whenever you'd like, but we hoped you'd stay over for drinks and cakes. Don't worry, I shall ensure you get back in time."

The garden view is familiar to me by now, but Jade is marvelling. And then "Wow, Jules, you get to live here?" when we get to the house, which has got a lot larger and now sprawls like some billionaires' resort.

"All the time, yeah, I'm studying sorcery here", other me says.

"And I'm mostly just being pregnant here", says pregnant me. Which is... distorting the truth a little, but again, it's Jade.

We head in, and Gothmog brings a tray of juice drinks and tasty looking cake slices out from the kitchen area while we grab seats.

"This place got way bigger, because we're planning a conference", I explain, "but it was pretty big to begin with. Good place to raise a kid, don't you think?"

"And it's just you two here, and Gothmog?" Jade asks.

"Well, until he lets others in, which we plan to do", other me says. "We had a friend in here until just yesterday, she was recuperating from an illness, but she got better. But I expect she'll be back."

Jade looks thoughtful. "How many other places do you have copies stashed? Feels like you've got a whole 'nother life going on."

"Just here for now", I say. "Who knows, though. There's no reason to limit myself."

She nods seeing the sense in that. "Wait until I tell oneesan about this place. It's amazing. Poe must feel so blah and tiny."

I laugh. "Well, it's not the Ritz over there, but it's worth it for the people." Then all of me are a little surprised. "Oh hey. That's well ahead of schedule. Junior just started to implant."

Jade looks concerned. "You're sure? That normally isn't for a whole week, and it's been what, one day?"

"Since yesterday morning", pregnant me agrees. "But it's fine, here, come and put your hand on my belly and I'll try and share the view with you."

Jade, looking curious, does. We can feel the structure of her body, and the edits she's made to herself, at great cost in pain. We really must see if we can help. But first... with big me helping, we feed life sense data into her mind directly. Junior is a smoothly rounded clump of cells, and she's nestled against the side of my womb, and starting to poke a pseudopod from one cell into the lining. Infinitesimally, we can feel it move deeper.

"Oh *wow*", Jade's fascinated. "You have this all the time?"

"Yeah. I'm filtering it down for you pretty hard, I get every cell in all of my bodies all the time, and subcellular stuff, and the same for whatever I'm touching. But I've got a constant eye on Junior here, she's the best monitored baby I know."

"She's wonderful, but how's she this big, this soon?"

"Going faster, I think. We aren't all that human, neither is she."

"Huh." Then she squinches her eyes. "Why do I kinda get the feeling she's looking back?"

"She is", I grin. "She doesn't have a physical mind yet, but her soul's here, and she's looking out through my senses. Just sort of observing, I think there needs to be a brain for more than that, but she knows she's loved."

"So kewl! Hi Junior!" Jade grins. Then she looks thoughtful. "You're all linked aren't you? So you could connect me to this cell sight thing from any body?"

Pregnant me nods. "Yeah, we wanted you to see where we live, but yeah, we can link you up from any body, if you want to peek and say hi. I lay good odds that Junior's going to be a character long before she's due. She'll probably be excited to meet auntie Jade."

Jade makes a squee! noise. "Oh my gosh this is so exciting." And then a sudden swerve to grim. "We absolutely cannot let the Head throw you out. If I have to organize a riot or a mass strike, I'll do it."

"Worst came to the worst, I'd be safe here, but we don't want to leave either", pregnant me says. "Most of my friends are there, now. And it's fun."

"I'll see what strings I can pull", Jade says.

"Thanks, it's appreciated." I'm not sure how big a stick Jade can swing, politically, but it all helps.

Jade breaks contact and goes back to hear seat, and swigs her juice. "This is like the best thing ever. And we need to have a sleepover, over here, and show all the others."

"If they want to, I can't see why not", I say. "Except that if we all keep sneaking off, we're going to get caught some time and yelled at for being off grounds. I've got the excuse I was on grounds, too. You, kinda likewise. The others, not so much."

She scrunches her nose, which is cute. "Point. And where could we ask for an exeat to, Gothmog's house? They'd say where is that. A demon's realm. Oh really, and would you also like an exeat to Narnia?"

I snicker. "Haven't been there yet. I hear they have good Turkish delight. But yeah. That said, this place might well get more than a bit famous soon. When Sara gets her people all lined up."

"Huh, how?"

"Huge religious conference. It's why this place got so big. We're making presentation rooms, dorms, bars, restaurants. *Public* conference."

"Off world, and public?" Jade gets it. "Oh damn, that is going to put the cat among the pigeons, globally. Famous she says. More like historic."

"Yeah", I say. Then I decide to see if she has thoughts about my idea. "I'm thinking of breaking the news about influence to the world over WARS, and of course, it'll be a non-event, just some school kid mutant's prank, right?"

Jade nods. "They'd believe you in Whateley, and that might start a riot, but out in the country, it'd be a tabloid funny papers story. Only the crazies would buy into it, and they buy any demon story."

"Yeah, and then they see me on the TV news at the historic off world conference. Hand in hand with it's organizer, Sara, the Kellith, daughter of Gothmog."

"Oh fuck." I don't think I've heard Jade swear like that before. "Jules, the entire world will flip its shit. They'll either want to martyr you or worship you or try to do both. You could start world war three."

"It's a risk", I nod. "Thing is, the influence is already out there. Whateley will know, even if I say nothing, when it starts to show too obviously. Heads of state will know, because they keep tabs on Whateley and they aren't stupid. They'll see the social indicators move and know it's not contained to one place. So that shitstorm is coming, one way or the other."

"You want to rip the sticking plaster off. Control the narrative."

"And maybe make the global effect go faster. They'll be seeing me, maybe they'll get pulled. The sooner my influence affects them, the less likely bombs will fall."

"Whee, you don't think small."


	48. Part 48

# # Part forty eight

With Jade shaking the hand of Gothmog and promising to be back, we both step back out through the doorway that leads into my room. Why me too, you might wonder, rather than just vanish the body? Because I have a trick planned. I let Jade out to go to her job, then get myself back into uniform, ready for the switcheroo.

Combat movement class was about what I expected. The right evasive way to move when you can't help being in the open between cover. How to figure where the engine block of a car is and shelter behind it. Using the rest of the car as concealment. Skylines and how to avoid them. I enjoy the class, but I have my suspicions about what's going to happen when it ends.

And indeed, turns out I guessed it, when I get back to the changing room and find the locker door wrenched open and my uniform hanging out of it, obviously shredded and scribbled upon. Are they five? Never mind. Me in Poe synchronizes steps with me in Laird. You see, what they don't know is that the trashed uniform is stuff I made, and I can unmake it.

In rapid succession I do three things. Vanish the ruined uniform - a collection of muck and small pointed objects clattering into the now-empty locker. Vanish the sweaty body, letting what I was wearing fall in a pile ready to be picked up - and precision teleport in from Poe just a step ahead of where I was, completing my walk up to my gym bag, picking up the sweats with tentacles and loading them in. While fresh and clean and wearing a pristine, never-before worn uniform copy. Somehow, what they destroyed, is no longer destroyed.

The looks I get, ha. It takes effort not to smirk. Sara does the smirking for me, as I keep a poker face watch while she changes. And then we head out. As soon as we get outside, she cracks up. "Their faces. Damn, you should have warned me, that was epic."

"Someone should paint a Renaissance style painting and call it 'malice, thwarted' and hang it in Crystal Hall beside the dragon", I agree. I need to split for detention on one side, now, and heading to security on the other. Sara stays with the detention me, so she can introduce me around. We go via the tunnels towards Hawthorne. Other me trudges overland towards Kane, taking time to look up at the stars, because it's a nice clear night. Since I hatched, I can see a lot more of them, and they're colourful. I think I'm seeing outside the human-visible spectrum, because some of them are colours I didn't used to know when I was human. Gothmog-side me has been studying us-style star charts, so I sing their names in the old language, making a melody of it as I dance towards the security building, with its odd grain-silo like observation tower. I almost fancy I hear them singing back. Far away, pretty-sparkling fires, shall I make a crown of glamour from you?

I may have been a little more eldritch than usual when I reach Kane, because the receptionist in the glassed-in cubbyhole gives me a WTF look. Yeah, my reflection has a glow to it especially around the brow, and my hair is moving without any wind. Well, it's nothing harmful, and she soon picks her jaw up. "Appointment?"

"Parallel, for Lieutenant Forsyth, I'm expected."

She checks papers and nods. "I'll buzz him, a moment." Finding composure in the routine.

Soon, the lieutenant comes in, and smiles to see me. "Thanks for coming. It looks like we need your help to draw a line under last night's business. We've got three kids who tell me the only one who can break them out of the permanent threat of compulsion is you. They don't trust themselves without it. So we've arranged a room where they can meet you, and I'll accompany you as protection if they're compelled to attack, and safeguarding witness."

I nod, "Sure, I can do that."

He pauses, tilts his head. "Oh by the way, you're glowing a bit, is there a reason?"

I shake my head. "I was singing to the stars. I'm pretty sure it's just them being playful."

He chuckles. "If it's not dangerous, I'll just file it under 'weird stuff at Whateley' and ignore it. Okay, in here."

I recognise Majestic, although she looks like she hasn't been sleeping. I'm guessing the pretty blonde is Cytherea, and the black-eyed goth is Stygian, guesses confirmed when the lieutenant introduces us. The three have parked themselves behind a desk, and there's a seat on the other side, which I take. The lieutenant goes and stands by the door, trying to act like he's not here. Do they teach that as a skill in cop school?

Majestic opens. "Thank you for coming. I want to start this right out by saying, I *really* don't like you. Neither of these two particularly has a reason to feel good about you either, but myself personally, I see your damn teeth and shining eyes in my nightmares, and I might never sleep again. I say this because I want to make it clear, we need you, it seems there's nobody else who can do this, but none of us wants to owe you a damn thing. So what I want to hear from you, before we go through with this, is a price. Something that clears the debt."

That's not an angle I expected. I take a moment to consider a reply. And I have an idea. "Alright. I can do that. There's something I need to explain to you all anyway before we do this, something I literally only figured out today, or I'd have given the others the same spiel. That will lead in to what I need from you. Then you make the go, no go decision."

She nods. "Very well, what is it?"

"Okay. So, back to last Monday night. I'm sure you all know that was me." I get two nods and a half-hearted one from Stygian. "I'm sure you all know that was global too, from the news. What you probably don't know is what I did and why. Sorry if this sounds like a digression, I promise you it's not."

I get three unconvinced looks. So I continue, "I went and changed the laws of metaphysics. Specifically, I added a broad, fractal tropism into life in general towards positive sociality and mutualism and complex beauty. All the plants and glowy stuff, those were just splash-over. I was expecting that to reflect into the human level, wasn't sure how it would, or whether it would take millennia. Now I have a better idea."

I can see hard to interpret looks on the three of them. Pissed off, a bit of awe-horror? I think they might be starting to grasp the size of what I did.

"So. I've been noticing I've been having an influence on people around me. And with some help, I've come to an interpretation that I'm afraid is pretty scary. *Everyone* is already influenced, at a baseline level, by what I did. Being around me, especially, being around the high power version of me I need to use to do the disconnections, pulls you into resonance with my nature, and makes you slide down the influence slope much, much faster. To you, that specifically means, if I do your disconnections today, you will be affected strongly. Even if I do not, you'll slide downhill as fast as the rest of humanity, but if I do, I'll be grabbing you and giving a good hard yank. Making sense?"

That was not a thing they wanted to hear. "What will it do to us?" Cytherea asks.

"Bear in mind, it happened two days ago. There's guesswork in this and very small samples. I can't guarantee the list is right, and I can't guarantee it's complete. It seems to be making people more polyamorous, sexually disinhibited, and unworried about taboos. It seems to pass over people without sex drives with the sexual stuff, but makes them more loving in sensual, snuggly ways. Since this was sampled from friends, I'm not sure how it affects interacting with third parties, except that nobody affected has done anything scandalous yet, and that includes Erin, who's as near a type case for how it will affect you as anyone could be. It seems to be a sort of oxytocin plus. Only affects interactions with your in-group, however you define that."

"Alright, we'd like some time to confer." Majestic looks like she's bitten into something that had a worm in it. "Could you step out while we do that?"

Of course I could, and so me and the lieutenant get to go raid the instant coffee machine. I can see he's a bit shaken too.

He sips his coffee and says, "Everyone's affected, globally, no way to reverse it?"

I nod. "Not without undoing what I did. Which I would strongly recommend against, even if it were remotely possible, which it isn't. That edit was put there because it was sorely needed."

"How fast?"

"Sadly, I don't know", I say. "ARC is scrambling to help me figure it out, but the indicators tick slowly. My pure gut feeling, wild ass guess - years or months, not decades or centuries. Faster in Whateley than nationally, just being generally around me will affect everyone a bit. Much, much faster for those three, if big me goes tinkering in their heads. Instantaneous."

"You realise I'll have to tell the Head about this? It impacts the school as a whole."

I nod. "She'd get told anyhow, I was planning to do that myself. But go ahead. I can follow up with her if she wants further detail."

He nods. And Majestic pokes her head around the door. "You can come back in." So we do, and I take my seat.

She picks it up as the spokeswoman again. "So we aren't happy, but we still pick disconnection. Mostly because from your description, there's no escape, and being changed by inches might be worse. Jason is unstable, regretful now, perhaps vengeful later? We can't afford to remain cat's-paws to be forced into his schemes. So with reluctance, we give the go ahead. But you still have not named your price."

I say, "Part of it is paid by the influence. It'll probably make you nicer people despite yourselves, which suits me. But for the other part, and to make us truly quits, I need your help. I'm going to have to tell the whole school about this. I haven't yet settled on how, but maybe an interview on WARS. I want you to help me by running crowd control when it happens. Help stop it turning into a riot, a panic, self harm, stuff like that. Damp down fear, give a push to hope. I think nobody could fault you for using your powers that way in defence of the school. This influence is driven by a metaphysical rule that is purest benevolence. It *will* work to the good of the whole world, in the long term, even if the result is a bit weird from our present standards. You have to help that interpretation to at least get consideration, from people whose first instinct will be to kick out and bolt."

That got them thinking. A few mutual glances, and then Majestic says. "I think we can all live with that. Deal, and quits. Now how do we do this?"

I pick my chair up and turn it sideways. "Drag up a chair in front of me. Sit, I touch your forehead, the rest is telepathic."

She nods, and I note with a bit of respect, is the first to sit up and bring over her chair.


	49. Part 49

# # Part forty nine

Detention in Hawthorne is a bit fun, to be honest. Mrs Cantrel lets Sara introduce me around in the common room, but then shoos her off. Seems having not-detained friends for company is a no-no. But I get to meet a few thornies while doing tasks that would be a lot more laborious if I wasn't able to solve a lot of them using tentacles (you can get floors *really* clean when you can pick off individual molecules of gunk). When they see I can tank Antenna's current without any damage, Mrs Cantrel assigns me to Paige's room, which should be interesting, because she hasn't invited me over to her place yet. And apparently I'm to "mind myself", because Paige isn't lucid. She was fine at lunch. Odd.

The room is interesting. Very big, kind of resembling a zoo room with hanging logs and so forth, it's below ground level but there's high windows out that let in shafts of sunlight. The lighting is via subtle upward directed bulbs that avoid any glare. There's murals on the walls, painted in shades of grey, outdoor scenes. A certain somebody, looking like a gigantic fluffy spotted cat with blue shining eyes, is lying on a high shelf projecting out from the wall. "Hey Paige! Nice to meet your fluffy self, may I come in?" She doesn't answer, and I figure she's more kitty than person while in this mode, but it's good to be polite. So I take non-answer as permission. Life sense gets a feeling of curiosity from her.

I'm technically assigned to be cleaning out the litter pan, but I suspect Mrs Cantrel knows we're close, and hopes I'll help snap Paige out of her kitty funk. A short bit of poking around finds the en suite bathroom (Paige leaps down silently and pads after me) and the litter tray, gah, Paige, you did a stinky one. Okay, sewer cleaning mode engaged. Which reduces the gagging as I tentacle-sift chunks out of the tray and into the provided bucket. All the while being looked at by a very large curious kitty. She butts up against me with her face, and I reach down (not that far down, she's big!) and pet her. "Hey cutie fluff-ball. What made you decide to go full kitty, hmm?" She says "mrrrp" and makes a rumbling purr, much deeper in this form than her halfway one.

I dump the mess in the provided garbage chute, and look around for anything else to clean. Which is when miss fluffy britches decides to grab my hand in her teeth. Not actually breaking skin, but holding tight. Okay, calm, self. There's nothing she can do that's going to be permanent harm to me, so lets go with this. "Mhm, what's up?"

She's pulling me over to the bed. Which is large, and nice, if a bit rumpled. Really, in this form? I find myself thinking, but I don't get lust in her life aura, so, it's probably not that. She pulls me up and I have to scramble, and get tooth-scratched a bit - yeah, that's the were virus, spotted it, and I can stop the infection before it goes further. But it's okay now, as she lets go and settles down beside me, purring, and with a feeling from her like a protected kitten. Aww, she wanted me there to feel safe. Love you lots and lots, Paige. I pet her, she cuddles up to me purring, and falls asleep.

I'm debating whether to stay in here with her and send another body about the rest of my business, when she suddenly shifts. It's smooth and clearly magical, not one of your grimmer Hollywood bone-breaking changes. One moment she's a really big kitten, the next, a human girl, her uniform reappearing with her. Her fully human form. First time I've met her like this. Her eyes blink open. "Gah, was that all a dream? Whuh? Oh, Jules, hi, I guess it wasn't a dream. Oh shit, did I bite you?"

"You did a little but it's fine, I'm not gonna turn furry", I say. "Don't worry about me, what happened to you?"

She pulls me closer and snuggles seeking comfort, I can feel the kitty is still in her nature even if it's not in her appearance. "It's all like a dream, but I think somebody shot at me. It hurt, I changed and went after them. Then it's mostly a blur."

Well that's an unexpected escalation. "Do you think you got them?"

"Sadly no clue. Kitty me doesn't lay down memories right, when she's raging."

I sit up, sadly breaking an enjoyable snuggle. "We need to do something about it. We can't have a sniper on the grounds. Loads of kids have no regen."

"Yeah, good point", she sounds really tired and a bit woozy, and slips trying to sit up when she tries to lean on a forearm that isn't there. "Damned arm."

"Want me to take a look at it?" Maybe I can force the regen quicker.

"Yeah but not now."

Good point. "Where did it happen?"

"I was walking overland to Hawthorne. Wanted the smells of the woods, you know? Tunnels are warm but they're claustrophobic. I'm not sure if I was past Poe, or passing it, the whole thing feels like a dream. I think the shot came from the trees."

We head out of her room as we're talking. Conveniently, Caitlin is just up the corridor headed somewhere, so I yell out to her, "Hey Caitlin! Could do with your expertise."

Which gets her to come over. "Yeah, what?"

"Incident a few minutes to an hour ago, Paige was just able to describe it, we think there's a sniper on the grounds. What to do? Going back there to poke around like junior detectives seems foolish."

Paige meanwhile has been fiddling with the uniform on her shoulder, an annoying reach across with the one good hand, and says "Oh, found it, bullet hole", wiggling her finger through an opening.

Caitlin takes a brief look, and nods grimly. "Yeah, sniper's caliber. Okay, we call security immediately, and you're right, we don't go back until they give the say so. Gimme all the details you know."

So we do that, and it's briefly a bit of a fuss. Security tells us they're sending people out in powered armour to get any kids there to safety, and investigate the woods. We're to shelter in place - Hawthorne is a bit of a fortress. I consider sending a body up there to go look, but rule it out quick even though I wouldn't die just from being shot. I might endanger the security folks, and what do I know about tracking anyway? Feels like it's a lack I should remedy though. I'll ask the weres when the shitstorm is over.

I think Caitlin respects me a bit more for going to her rather than playing Scooby-gang all solo.

In the end, the report back from security is that they found signs someone had been mauled, but they also weren't present, which means the threat is still live. And now I know what made Paige do mister stinky when she got home. Tasty tasty sniper. This I do not mention to her as, if she hasn't figured it, I don't want to give her any further trauma.

Security also hands down a ruling, above ground is out of bounds if there's a tunnel you can use. If not, they plan to make some sort of temporary snipe-proof enclosure between buildings. That's going to be fun, not. It was cold and dull up there, but it was being outside four walls. The cabin fever is going to get harsh. I hope they catch whoever was behind it quickly.

Why would they shoot at Paige?

Detention's cancelled, so we head together through the tunnels to Sara's room. Said mutually beloved demon princess is happily indulging her dark side in GEO. So rather than interrupt her, we grab a bean bag and I pull Paige into a hug, which she accepts.

I think Sara senses Paige is a bit shocky, so she closes out her game, and takes off the headgear. "Hey there loves, what's up? No kitty form today?"

"Kitty form was earlier", says Paige and does the finger wiggle in the bullet hole again. "Then I got sniped. Jules had to hug me down out of full-kitty form. I don't dare risk anything but human until the urge to go back passes."

Sara comes and plomps herself down on the other side of Paige, so we can both hug her. "Who? I'mma burn em alive. Nobody snipes my beloved."

"Dunno", says Paige, sounding subdued. "It just hit me and hurt, in the middle of an open field."

I add, "Sounded like an outsider, from what security said, they found the site of a chomping, but not the chomp-ee. So kitty Paige took a piece out of em already."

"Means they'll be turning furry", Sara says. "We should alert the weres, if security already hasn't."

"The escape probably means they had a teleporter", I say. "A flyer would be seen and tracked, and on foot, they'd have to cross the weres' land. Not to mention, leaving a drip trail any junior sleuth could follow. If I could get there, maybe I could find some residual warp? But there's no way. Security has ruled the entire above ground off bounds until the shooter's caught."

"Still leaves the question of why, though?" Sara looks thoughtful. "Paige, love, since you got here, you haven't exactly been making waves, or enemies."

"Yeah, but there's still the before I got here bit", Paige says. "If they've tracked me here..."

"Then the school might have to do some fast talking to a bunch of three letter agencies", Sara says firmly. "But nobody is handing you over to anybody."

Paige nods, "And if they figured that, maybe that's why they tried to make the problem go away."

I ask, "Why miss, though? Because if I'm not mistaken, a good sniper shouldn't miss, at that distance."

"And nobody's going to bother teleporting in a bad one", Sara agrees. "Okay, let's suppose they were startled to see you, and took the shot without setting up a good aim? Then they'd have to be someone who knew the old you. But you weren't the target."

"CIA, or something, that would do it", Paige nods. "But who would be the target?"

"I know it's making too much soup from one oyster, but it could be me", I admit. "I've been making waves. We know the MCO has its panties in a wad. I'd be unsurprised if the CIA did too. Or maybe they contract out assassinations to each other?"

"If they've been paying attention, the CIA knows they can't kill you with a bullet", Sara points out.

"Maybe they just want to poke me and see which way I'd jump?"

"Or start a war they can act blameless for finishing", Paige agrees.

Sara frowns. "No war until we know who, and why. But then maybe yes, a little war. We can't have them punching holes in any of my beloveds, survivable or not."

I wince, but nod. "Sooner or later, we're going to have to get into a dominance pissing match with the more militaristic parts of the government. Ideally, in as small and polite a way as possible. I don't think they're going to sit still for me. They won't sit still for Paige either, once they know she's here. And you, Sara. The three of us in each other's laps is a vast concentration of power they'll see as unfriendly."

"Well, they sure didn't make any friends today", Paige says. Which I can only nod to.

Setting that aside for now. There are gentler, more immediate matters I can attend to. "Let's have a look at your arm", I say.


	50. Part 50

# # Part fifty

I allow the strain of the day to flow out of me, and focus down on the stump arm of my beloved. Why does it hurt her like this? Holding it, I can feel the cells at the edge, gradually repairing what was cut off. But the feeling it gives me is almost of her regeneration dragging its feet. It's going as slow as it can - full repair would take years. Big me slides forward to help me, and I shift levels. I can see her soul-shape, one soul stretched over two bodies and becoming two souls - really, all the way done becoming two, now, but still joined by a thread that has become a sort of residual bond. Perhaps she could chat over it, with a bit of practise?

That's part of the puzzle, but it doesn't give me the answer I'm after. Big me makes a suggestion, and I agree, so we change levels again, diving down, going deep past her surface mind to the primal mind of the body itself. It's a dark space of urges and drives and intense, hidden feelings, and finally down here, I get something solid. There's an urge we can feel associated with refusal to regenerate - mourning, wistful yearning, stubbornness, a wish to rejoin. Somehow, the stump arm knows its severed counterpart is out there, alive. The soul connection is giving it hope, and it refuses to let go. It's holding back the healing to keep alive the hope of reconnecting with its severed counterpart, and becoming one again.

That's honestly such a sweet reason that I find myself deeply moved, and that helps, I can flow with the feeling and guide it because I can empathize. Together, we feel the sadness, reaching out, begging for what was lost to come back. Slowly, to that, I mix in an understanding of the other-who-is-like-self, Petra. How she grew into a whole person. How she now has a soul, and that's the life connection the body was feeling. One has become two, the second is separate, but beloved. We can let her go, because she is not gone. Gradually, grief turns to wistfulness. And joy for a softer kind of reconnection, when I show the body what was being held just earlier, her twin, same flesh, come together in love. We can touch again what we thought we had lost. But it would help to have a hand to hug with...

And just like that the regeneration releases back to its original, high speed. Bidding loving goodbye, my focus returns back to the surface, and Paige is crying, looking at her stump that has already regrown by a finger width.

"You did it, how, what did you do?" So I tell her, and she's moved to tears by the feeling her arm was just being faithful for its missing piece. So we all pet her regrowing arm, it's silly, but it feels right. And she promises it lots of hugging Petra.

Odd to switch from what feels sublime to the mundane, but Paige's regen makes it clear she'd like some food by making her stomach grumble loudly, which breaks the tension and makes us all giggle.

The crowd in Crystal Hall is subdued and murmurous, without many shoulder angels to be seen. The sudden imposition of movement restrictions has everyone curious and worried. As I'm fetching food, I hear all sorts of speculation. An invasion. A cover-up. A plague of yeti. (Okay, I just made the last one up.) As I'm heading back to my two tables with trays of lasagne and salad and ice cream, there's a banging noise, someone thumping on a table. Talk dies to a murmur. It's the Head, stood up.

"Quiet please!" She waits for the murmuring to quit, glaring at a few hold-outs until they hush. "Thank you. You've been informed of the bare basics of the temporary movement restrictions via campus tannoy, but I'm now about to explain why they're being imposed. Someone, it presently appears from outside, has taken the very poor decision to shoot at one of my students. Luckily, that student was not seriously harmed, this time. Until the matter is resolved, I'm afraid we'll all have to avoid open areas where they might attempt to repeat their mistake."

"Now I know", she continues, "from personal experience in fact, that some of you feel invulnerable, and that as a result you'll chafe under these restrictions. Please understand they are in part protecting your friends who have a baseline's vulnerability to bullets. Please also understand, that just because you are bulletproof, does *not* mean you are safe. Weapons come in all sizes, people! If you can stop a rifle bullet, can you stop an anti-tank round? I would rather you not discover your limitations by dying of them."

She takes a breath, then, "Everyone, and that means everyone, students and staff, will move above ground only in the areas authorized by security, unless they have been given special dispensation otherwise. Behind the provided cover, not flying above it or peeking around it for a lark. If shooting breaks out, you will go *quickly* to the nearest building and then get underground as soon as possible, allowing the most vulnerable people in first."

A pause, and a sigh. "My apologies for this, I intend this situation to be under control very soon, and then restrictions will be relaxed. That will be announced over the tannoy. Until then, stay safe. Thank you, that's all." And she sits down.

Well, that sets everyone talking! I think honestly, whoever did this is doomed. It won't just be the capes after them, it will be the villains too. The school has a lot of pull. And, well, us. Shooting at Paige is not okay.

She meanwhile, keeps glancing at her arm, which has reached the point of starting to make a hand. Sara's mothering her a little, cutting up her food for one handed eating, making the best of the opportunity, I think.

We all three reached the unspoken decision that it's best not to spread around that it was Paige who got shot at. She likes to keep a low profile, and this would make her the object of a lot of school-wide speculation. So when the Kimbas are throwing around theories of what's going on, I just keep quiet and eat my food.

In fact, I'm out of the conversation enough that I'm drifting a little - until I hear my name, pause and rewind a moment... it was Bunny. I smile, because I'm fond of her, and say, "Sure, yeah, what?"

"I need to talk to you afterward. Jade, you too. It's engineer stuff." And suddenly Toni the gossip isn't bending an ear to hear it, heh. Jade and I are the only ones who run with the gearheads.

After dinner, as one of me is headed to my job and another headed back to Sara's room with most of the Pack, I leave a self to loiter by the entrance until Bunny and Jade meet me there.

"So, this is like, a secret, okay?" Bunny begins. "It's not super duper secret, but it's not for anyone who isn't an engineer. Jade, you're initiated, they've called the worn wrench, we need to meet after curfew, down in the labs." That gets a frown and a nod from Jade. "Jules, you aren't yet, you can't come this time, but I can tell you what it's about. That nasty Tansy Walcutt beat poor Greasy into the hospital. He'd have died of it, if he wasn't just a hop and a skip from Doyle. So we're gonna hold a meeting about it, and we're gonna call open season on her, I think."

I wince. "I don't know him personally but maybe I should go over there and see if they want any help with him? I might be able to help heal him or something."

"I heard Jericho's on that with some of his new medical devises", Bunny says. "But no harm in asking. Just, tomorrow, mind that you don't walk too close to Tansy in case any of the pranks have splash-over."

I nod. "So, I'm taking it, it's not gonna be open season of the beating up kind, more like worms in her bed and ink in her shampoo?"

Bunny nods. "Yeah, the engineers, we're mostly not the beating folks up sort, but it doesn't mean we'll sit still for some no good, nasty piece of work using one of us as a punching bag! So I hope she gets the full portion of what she deserves. And may she take a lesson from it."

Works for me. "I'm down with that. I hope they think up some really inventive ones. I can be available any time if you want my help, although I know I'm not an insider yet."

Jade grins, "We're gonna get that done reeeal soon, don't you worry."

Bunny nods, "Yeah, we will. And I doubt we'll tap you for help, but, the offer's kindly taken."

Thoughts of engineering as I take the tunnel to Doyle, get me pondering what kind of a project I might make. And an idea occurs, which gives me a big, slightly scary grin. Maybe big me can help navigate the physics, because I want to do this elegantly. Fun fun!

Offering my help at the reception desk gets me looked at funny, I'm not one of the medical track people here yet (I'd definitely like to pick that up), so they don't know me. I offer Doc Bellows as a reference. The receptionist makes a call to him, looks surprised, then hangs up. Makes another call, and a couple of minutes later, a man in a white medical coat walks in. "Hi, I'm Doctor Raul Tenant. I hear you've offered your help to Adam Lambert. Doctor Bellows is supposedly convinced you're a miracle worker. However, I haven't heard that you're received any medical qualifications?"

I shake my head. "When I use life sense on someone, I know what every cell in their body is doing, I can see their genes, and I can control stuff. And I've read the medical library at ARC, although I'm not experienced in it."

He nods. "Alright. I need to give you some advice, and it's hard to hear, but I'd like you to give it an honest hearing, okay?" I nod. He continues, "We get a few kids in every batch with powers like yours. And we routinely get offers of help from them, and I have to tell them all the same thing. Unless it is literally life or death, unless you are stuck in a situation with a wounded person and no way to get them here to us, you must *not* use your powers to practise medicine. Even then, hold it down to first aid if possible. Enrol on the healer track here, go to med school when you graduate, then use them. But do not just jump in with them and make repairs."

I must have looked grumpy, because he says, "Yeah, I know. We always get the same reaction. Why not, I was only helping, are you trying to defend your special guild privileges? No. I'm saving lives. You see, and I'm making an analogy here, but your power presents the human body as a set of knobs you can turn and levers you can pull, right? That's usually how it goes."

"Kinda sorta", I agree.

"Okay so. How I see it, with my doctor's training and years of experience, the body is more like a bunch of structural members in a too-clever-by-half building, that all lean on one another. When things are good, they move and take up the slack, no matter what's going on outside, and the inside stays fine. When things are not so good, that's like one or two of them being busted, they lean funny, they transfer weight between them so now maybe one of the ones that was good is overloaded and it starts to creak and pop. When things get *real* bad, they don't just break, they pull others down, the load moves around and keeps breaking more stuff, it's a mess and a nightmare. Into that steps you, who just... commands one or another of them to stand up - and they do. But where's the load going? Where's the *moving* load going, in fact? So what you will find is you prop one up one and another will go, then you grab that and two others fly wildly out of control, and soon you're juggling a dozen things gone wrong, and you lose track and it all comes crashing down ten times as hard. Your power is not going to let you run every damn system in a human being on manual while they are all squirming against your control. So save yourself the guilt, and just don't. Okay?"

Maybe with as many minds as I have, with big me's help, I could do that, run a person on manual. But it would be bad to discover I couldn't. He has a fair point. Which makes me sigh, and nod. "Okay, point made." Frustrating as it is.

He nods. "Good. Thank you, but no, we will not be needing your help tonight. But I hope this increases your interest in a properly qualified and trained career in medicine, rather than reduces it. I'll recommend you into the healer track if you'd like?"

I nod. "Please."


	51. Part 51

# # Part fifty one

I'm a little disappointed with how things turned out at Doyle, but, I can see the Doc's point. Did I do a bad thing with Doc Bellows and Donna when I edited them? Thinking about it, no. I wasn't trying to heal a system breakdown, I was just making improvements. That seems to fall outside the "collapsing building" issue. Okay.

I need to be a bit more cautious making the teleport back to Poe. I know Erin isn't in yet, she's with other me, but someone might be moving her stuff in. I find that I can sort of feel around, before I fold space and make the jump. Time to get out of my uniform and see if I can't find Zenith.

Meanwhile, maintenance is underground for obvious reasons. I have to apologise for being a nuisance, first I end up in detention, which means I have to do my work at a different hour, then I'm missing a day for being dead a lot. "You sure don't look dead" says Morrie, amused. He's the only one around this time.

"I looked dead enough", I say, remembering. Intestines should stay on the inside. That really was an unpleasant mess and a half.

He catches my wince, and says, "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. Sore subject?"

"Let's just say it isn't a comfortable one yet. I have a perfect memory. That has its downsides", I say. He nods, understanding.

At least today's work is just putting up some conduits and laying cable, that's something I can lean into and flush the memories out of my focus.

When the Pack gets to Sara's room, we all go in and then she rotates it to keep out nosy ears. Paige's now fully regrown arm is the subject of much curiosity. So with everyone sworn to keep it quiet, we explain the sniper, and the aftermath. But that has them confused too, why was Paige's arm missing Petra? Why did someone shoot at Paige?

Paige looks at Sara, and me, and sighs. "Okay. This really is very secret, and it'll take a long time to tell. I promise we'll get to the bit in the end where you understand what Petra and I are to each other. But it's going to be a long journey. Are you all cool with that?"

I put an arm around her, I know it must be scary. She's kept her secret completely, but perhaps she just feels cared for and protected enough now, to tell her close friends. Everyone nods, and agrees. And so Paige launches into her tale. I've read it, but hearing it from her own lips changes things.

Several minutes later, she concludes, "So you see, I'm a werecat, a cyberpath, a national security existential threat in hiding behind a false identity here, wanted dead or alive and probably mostly dead. I've got a sister who grew from my own cut-off arm, one soul stretched across two bodies, four selves split two for her, two for me, although one of hers died. Until today, I think they believed I was on ice a mile down underneath ARC. That may have changed. And there you go, that's me and my damn story."

She gets instantly hug-piled. Nobody could hear that story and not want to leap to her defence a hundred times over. And I think despite herself, being hugged and stroked and made a fuss off by everyone really helps, perhaps it's the cat in her, but she's purring (in human form!). I give Sara a hug too for rescuing her. Miss "rarr! I'm a demon!" has tears in her eyes. I wish people knew how loving she is.

And then we have to plan.

Up until now, the plan's been simple. Keep her head down, hide her full powers, build a new life in her assumed identity. But the sniper changes things. I tell them about my thought that it may have been aimed at me. Which they agree is plausible, given how big a thing it is to break the accords and attack on school grounds. But shooting at Paige, and missing, that implies someone recognised her. Someone who knew her face and knew what she could do. We know the sniper took a mauling, but we also know they were evacuated, and it's reasonable to assume whoever did it was taking them back to a medical team. So if they haven't blabbed yet, they probably will. Even if they don't, speculation about that shot will draw attention to Paige, and what one can recognise, so can another. Therefore we have to operate on the assumption Paige's cover is blown. Petra's may be too.

She could run and hide. Gothmog's realm is both a citadel, and a secret bridge that can move the two of them around the planet if need be, without any Imperial entanglements. A new name, a new identity, and start again, yet again. Of course, there's a number of problems with that. It would break several hearts. It would take Paige out of perhaps the best protected place on the planet, and out of close contact with people who can look after her. And perhaps worst, it might not even work. On the basis of "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me", the feds would keep looking. No secret identity is foolproof, there's always an element of hiding from notice more than hiding from thorough examination. Therefore she could never settle. That would be no kind of life.

She could stay put, do nothing out of the ordinary, make no fuss, keep up the cover story, and hope it wasn't breached. Best case, that works as it has been doing until now. Worst case, it already failed, and we'd give them time to plot while we stay ignorant. And then we'd have to react without having the initiative. But even so, that's kind of the default plan.

Then I point out there's a third option. Everyone here knows about my influence by now. Not everyone knows about Sara's plan for a big off-world conference, my plan to announce about influence over WARS, and then our plan to introduce me to the world at the conference - and back up the WARS broadcast. That's really step one in our plan to be seen not as a bunch of mutant schoolkids, but a power in the world. One that will stand for the good of all, against the bureaucratic systems of the world, while bridging between humans and GOOs.

One that could say, Paige is ours, you will keep your paws off. And have the teeth to back it up.

In that scenario, Paige stops hiding. Perhaps at the conference, perhaps right away. She lets the school see her powers. She accepts the government will find out, preempting what news our sniper might deliver.

Of course, there's downsides to that too. We're going to have to start protecting her straight away. And because it will put a strain on the school, we really ought to involve the Head in the decision before we do anything.

Actually, I've got a few things I really ought to be talking to her about already. Heh.

I wonder if it's that, that reminds Jet. But she says, "Um, Jules. I'm deeply deadly sorry for blurting it out loud, and I hope it doesn't bite you, but, are you gonna tell us any more about the thing, um, at lunchtime?"

Okay, I can do that. "You mean the bit where I'm pregnant?" I tease. Which has everyone except Paige and Sara blurting a million questions. Who's the father? Myself, another of my bodies. No, it's genetically fine, I should know. She's called Junior at the moment, I plan to ask her what name she wants. She's over in Gothmog's realm. Yes, that's part of what we were up to over there so much. She's a tenth of a millimeter wide and implanted today. No the Head doesn't know, but she'll almost certainly have caught the rumour and will come sniffing around, we need a plan for that. No, I won't abort her. She's a person to me already, although I admit some of that may be projection. But she feels like a contented, growing little thing. Yes, anyone from the Pack who wants, I'll let them come over and see me and meet her, like I did with Jade. I was meaning to tell everyone, I just didn't get around to it. We can do that tomorrow morning, it's a bit late to all rush over tonight.

Turns out I'm overruled on that. It's not too late for them! So other me clears it with Gothmog, he says okay, and here's the door again.

For some of them - Jamie, Erin, Hippy, this place was only an abstraction until now. They've seen Gothmog over here, but it isn't the same. So they get amazed looks - we portalled directly into the building this time, but the room is beautifully ornate. And yet more dropped jaws when one of me comes in with another of me on a leash and bare ass naked. Their reactions make me have a giggle fit, in fact. Which gets me frowned at and called a jerk, but breaks the tension. Paige grabs a seat on one of the comfy sofas, she's seen this all before and I think, is enjoying not being the center of attention for the first time tonight. Sara goes and sits by her. The others crowd around the two of me who've been staying here. I have to hush them with "Slow down, one at a time!", because although I can follow the overlap of all the questions at once, I can't answer them.

"Why are you naked?" Erin, she sounds curious.

"I'm playing a game of being sexually submissive to other me. It's honestly just a bit of fun. Something to do with the body, since I have to keep it around."

"Are you the pregnant one, then?" Jamie, who looks like she doesn't get any of this.

I nod. "Yeah, that's me. Other me was already here to study, I fled here from the school after deciding to keep the baby, which wasn't the original plan."

Jet asks, "How did you get pregnant? I thought you could control that kind of thing?"

I nod. "Deliberately, is the answer, because, yes, I can control it. I was horny and wanted to feel pregnant. And then when I did, I suddenly was really determined not to stop. And now, Junior is there, and I love her, so I'm staying pregnant."

"Why is pregnant you, the one who is naked?" Hippolyta asks. "I hope it is not some stupid sexist reason."

I shake my head. "This is the one body I can't treat casually. Most of them, they come and they go. I'd have to count back to see how many iterations each of me is from my original. Most of me is outside, not physical at all. Of all of me, only *this* one body has to stay continuously physical, has to stay safe. So therefore, I can't really do anything with it, and that's going to continue for an estimated nine months. Maybe faster, Junior's well ahead of schedule. So basically, I could stare at walls, I could read, we don't get TV or DVD or games in here, or I could play. Mostly, I'm playing."

Hippolyta considers this, and sighs. "That makes sense, I suppose. It still feels strange to me, but, I understand your reasoning. It is strange too, this pregnancy without a father, but, I suppose you have your own rules. Maybe you will set a trend, heh?"

"I just might, you know", I tease. "Having lots of kids is definitely in my plans. Both carrying and seeding them. I might well introduce the option to the rest of the human species."

Erin nods. "I remember you hinting at that, at lunch a couple of days ago. You're going to flood the Earth with your kids?"

Sara gets up from beside Paige and comes over. "She's not the only one. That's a plan for both of us. We're trying to make humanity safer by breeding into it. Although I'll mostly be pitching, not catching, unless I can learn that multi body trick."

"I bet you can, you know", I say. "It's a pure us kind of trick. You need to learn multiple minds first though. Or you'd get horribly confused and fall on your multiple asses." Which makes everyone giggle.

"Infinite Saras", Paige says wistfully. "Can you imagine that?"

"One for each of us", says Hippy.

"No rota", says Erin.

"Why stick at one?" asks Jet, and then when everyone looks at her, she says "What? You were thinking it too", and puts her tongue out. And we all crack up laughing.


	52. Part 52

# # Part fifty two

From my memories of reading, Zenith lives up on the fourth floor in Poe - technically, off limits to me, but I think that shouldn't be too much of an issue if I'm here to seek a specific person. Still, I listen hard, floating myself up the stairs to avoid making noise myself, and put the echolocation I played with when I was kidnapped last week into use to scan out the lay of the land. Four people in the common area. Several occupied rooms, going by movement noises or conversation. It's a pity doors don't have name tags. Absent someone saying her name I'm going to have to find someone to ask.

Oh wait - I'm an idiot. Hippolyta is in Poe, she'll know! At the moment everyone's over in Gothmog's place, snickering at jokes about having as many Saras as they would like, and herself is encouraging it, honestly, I think she's seriously considering the idea. One of me taps Hippolyta's shoulder and asks her, without distracting the others from their fun. "Oh yes, she's in 416, why?"

"Going to talk to her about her radio show", I explain, which is enough for Hippolyta, she nods.

Heading to door 416, I knock. Movement sounds, and the door opens to reveal an Asian girl, black hair, green eyes. "Yeah?"

Probably Zenith's room-mate, checking if I ever read of her... Shrike? "Hi, you're Shrike, right? I'm looking for Zenith."

"Is the right answer." And turning inward, "Zoe, you have kiddies. Well, one kiddy. Floaty white haired thing." Oops, I had forgot I was airborne. I drop down and make ground contact. "Scratch the floating", Shrike adds. Which makes me grin, I kinda like her wiseacre approach. I hear grumbling from inside, and then a blonde in a tracksuit replaces Shrike at the door.

"Hi, you caught me in the middle of some homework, so I don't have super long. How can I help you?"

"Sorry to be a bother. If you don't have time, I could come back tomorrow? I wanted to talk to you about a thing for your radio show."

"If it's advertising for something you've made, you have to go through the school administration, I can't arrange that."

I shake my head. "Um, this is slightly hush-hush so I'd prefer not to blurt it in the corridor. But no, I need to get some information out to the school, and I was suggested that your show would be best. It's hush-hush because I don't want half-assed rumours going around the school and outrunning the actual information."

She tips her head to the side considering, and then says, "come in, summarize it for me. Della, if you would?"

Shrike grumbles, "Oh man", but starts gathering her stuff.

I say, "No need. It may be a snap read, but I figure you can be sensible with information?"

That gets an interested look from Shrike. "I can, but it'll be my sensible, not yours."

"That works for me", I say, and Zenith nods accepting that, and shuts the door. "Okay, grab a seat. In your own time."

"Okay so. I'll begin with: last Monday night? That was me."

Zenith says, "Miss Parallel, I remember you were on John's show claiming to be a demon. And then everyone was saying you were behind the flowers."

"Demon is a little imprecise, although I didn't know it at the time. Technically I'm a thing called a 'great old one', a baby one, although I was fully human a couple weeks ago. Monday was me hatching, that is, going from mostly human, to mostly not."

Shrike looks a little skeptical, says, "What little I've heard of those, they're damn dangerous. Class X nasties of the worst sort, not to be messed with under any circumstances. You're saying that's you?"

I nod. "Some are seriously bad news, most are neutral but predatory. One or two are truly neutral verging on okay. Three that I know, benevolent and protective. Those being Sara Waite, her dad, and me. Carmilla, if you only know her by the code name."

"Miss spooky dyke is one of those? Shit, seriously?"

I nod. "Our lineage is through the primal power of Creation, that I won't name because I don't want her attention, then Sara's father, then Sara, then she sparked me just after I got here. This is personal stuff, please don't spread it about, but it puts the rest into necessary context."

"So you're three removed from, yeah I know her damn name", Shrike says. "Shit. That makes you, like, a 'call the president, launch the nukes' level class X threat."

I say, "The Head knows. We're friendly, she's taking us on our word on that. We're actively trying to protect humans in general, and the school specifically against the worst ones. It's a bit of a secret war. Bear in mind, I'm not announcing this. It's backstory to save a ton of dancing around the point."

Zenith says, "Okay, so, what is the actual point then? Because honestly, you have me a little scared here. It feels like you want to involve me in some serious business."

I nod. "Sadly, more than a little, yeah. The flowers was me. That similar stuff that went down globally, at the exact same time, was also me. In fact, it went down universally. Every galaxy, every solar system, every planet, everywhere without exception. I changed the metaphysical laws of reality. Changed the way the life principle works. The pretty biology was just the tiniest scrap of that power spilling over."

"You're serious", Shrike asks.

I nod. "The Head and Circe could confirm it for you, although I'm not sure they want it widely known. One hundred percent dead serious, and I'm not even finished yet."

"Heavy messing, fuck", Zenith sounds weirded out. "Well, finish, please, although I'm not sure I'm going to be getting any sleep tonight."

"So, what I changed", I say. "The life principle used to be directionless. That stark amorality, and the implication that everything of value was assured to be ripped apart by the meaningless working of evolution was what made great-grandma's scriptures a sanity risk. Sara and her dad have been fighting that, but since the start of the universe it's been a losing battle, and the opposition aren't helping. That is, until last Monday. I went and wedged the thing open and spliced in a new set of corollaries. Now, life tends to mutualism and complex beauty. It's a tropism, not a guarantee, but it means we're fighting a winnable war. But, well, it has consequences."

The two of them look at each other. Shrike says, "You just went and edited the laws of metaphysics? For serious?"

"Yeah, and it's a one off. I could do it when I hatched, by using the creation of my larger self to write the rules into myself when I was naming who I was, and wedge myself in there as a definitional power. What I changed, I can't alter. It's a rule shift for every lifeform in existence, and it's fractal, extends to every scale. It drags us, humans, as individuals and as a society, into the change too. Kind of like rewriting a BIT, but at a much higher pattern level. And like a change to a BIT, all of humanity is shifting to fit the new over-pattern's mould. So finally, I get close to the thing I need to announce."

"If that was just the back story, then spit out the point already", says Shrike.

"The point is, humanity's changing, at a rate I don't know yet, but it might take years. But we've discovered, being near me pulls people into resonance, and makes the change go faster. Being in prolonged close contact with me, or near big me, makes it go much faster. Big me is my great old one self. She can come forward and run the body, but isn't right now. So basically, I'm putting people under an influence, you could say, if you turn the directions round and see it how outsiders will see it. The whole school is feeling it, my closest associates are feeling it strongly. It's going to affect us here before it affects everyone else. And I need to tell them." I sigh. "Trouble is, what I know of what it actually does is very conjectured. We have proof it's happening, we have understanding of the mechanism, I could teach you the one R'Lyehian rune that defines it in perfect metaphysical precision, but how it looks in humans... that's still guesswork. Although I have trends I can describe."

Shrike says, "Being here, with us, is influencing us? Not sure I like that." And Zenith nods.

"Being in Poe affects you. Being in Whateley affects you. Probably, being on Earth affects you relative to the rest of the galaxy", I say. "But the effect is only to make it go faster. I need to tell people what I know of where we're all going to end up, so they can adjust and handle it. Because it's going to become obvious, even if I tell nobody."

Zenith says, "So tell us, please. From how you describe your edits, it can't be too terrible?" I can feel, both of them have a deep fear. It's strong enough to register on life sense.

"Going from the people around me, it increases kindness, acceptance, sociality. Seems some of my lust lineage spilled into it, it seems to erode taboos and bring sexuality into loving relationships. It makes people worry less about being sexual, even in ways that might be labelled perverse, but it makes them care about other people more, so they start to worry about consent and power differences even if they weren't worried about them before. It might make people more polyamorous, it almost certainly makes them more accepting of shared relationships even if their branch of the polycule is exclusive. I suspect, it'll make people less able to hold bigoted ideas, because it will be harder to see other humans as the evil other. So good stuff, but weird stuff. It'll set society on its ear. I wouldn't be surprised if it makes the Head drop the rule on fraternization, for example. Or students take a fancy to going around with their tits hanging out."

"You have a slut aura", Shrike says. "Well damn." Her fear, at least, has gone down. She might actually think that sounds fun.

I grin. "Kinda sorta. It's not the same as Sara's 'come fuck me' field. Less about making you want it, than making you willing to say yes to what you already wanted. And accept what others want, without being grossed out."

"Okay let me get this straight.", Zenith says. "You want to announce *that* on WARS?" You'll get lynched. And WARS goes out to the country. They aren't inside your influence yet, they'll be plenty capable of thinking bigoted thoughts. You'll kick every hornet's nest in the country."

"Way I figure it, if we're careful how we phrase it, we can make the most of the outside world, except the nuts that will believe anything, pass it over as a joke or a prank. Only Whateley will have enough evidence to join the dots and believe it. But that will seed the ground for phase two."

"There is a phase two. No shit there is a phase two. You're gonna break it to the whole country, aren't you?" Shrike gets me, I'm so flattered.

"Sara's going to have a big religious conference for her Kellith religion. A big, off-world conference. In her dad's realm."

"Off world, seriously?" asks Zenith.

I nod and say "Yeah, a big, history making, off world conference, in her great old one father's personal realm, that the press and the world religions will be invited to, in which they'll be introducing me. And suddenly, what WARS put out goes from crazy to fact, and the trap closes tight."

Zenith covers her eyes for a moment, then says, "This is so going through the Head, before a damn word of it goes out on WARS. You realise they might just point nukes at us and let fly, right? And if you're going to say 'we could probably deal with that', please, spare me. It may be true but my dreams are gonna look like Terminator Two until I'm sure we're safe."

I nod. "I'm completely cool with going through her. She knows a lot already. I'll fill her in on the rest tomorrow. This needs to be done, you can see that? But I'm not averse to listening to wiser heads on how. This is just plans at the moment, although a lot has already been set in motion."

"You know", says Shrike, "I like you. Big plans, whee. I'm happy to get behind this, and yeah, I can see why you don't want rumours. They won't hear a damn thing from me."

"I, meanwhile, think you're a damn headache", says Zenith. "But yeah. I can see why, in principle, it needs done. The alternative is people just discovering it, piecemeal, and being scared and confused and horrified. But they're going to be that anyway, you realise? I can see how you're setting yourself up to be a power, with that conference, but what if they launch a war against you?"

I wince at the thought. "I really, really hope to persuade them not to. Whateley's neutrality will help. But in the end, if push comes to shove and they make war, I can do that. It might be awfully messy, but I'm a bit scary, when I stretch my limits."

The two of them look at each other. Look at me. Zenith says "You could fight a nation state to a standstill in an equal match?"

I nod. "Some of my powers only have best effect at large scales. I cut an alien starship in half last Friday, although that body didn't survive the radiation side effects. Big me made the search spores yesterday, a deliberately constrained, rather than violently unconstrained application of great old one sorcery. I can swing an extremely big stick, and there are as many of me as I want there to be, flyers with long range teleporting. I can tank an indefinite number of deaths and keep coming. Yes, I can."

"Out. Out, already." Zenith's had enough. "I am going to have nightmares about you. Out of my damn room."

I bow, and leave.

Shrike, I feel, looked impressed.


	53. Part 53

# # Part fifty three

Erin's in our room when I get back down there. I was already using the bottom bunk, she kind of likes taking the top one because it feels like sleeping up a tree, so that works for both of us. I fire off an email to the Head asking to meet, and then pretty much drop straight off to sleep.

Thankfully, the trauma dreams hold off, which lets me play by building a kind of restful haven for myself, a dream of forest and tall, broad trees full of growing things and life all living together, thick moss I can sit on, the ground and branches and air busy with living things, quite a few of them with colourful glows. Perhaps, it's a sort of reflection of what the world might look like in a century or two?

The watchdog self I'd set monitoring my body informs me something's disturbing the bed. Sound analysis, smell analysis, suggest it's probably Erin. No-one else is in the room. She's bigger than me and a bit bony, but warm snuggled up against me. I wrap her in a hug and fall back asleep.

Sara seems to be busy elsewhere tonight, but she does peek in, dream-walking, and smiles to see me and Erin snuggled up.

****12th January, 2007, Poe****

Waking, I'm content and rested. Honestly, that's one of the nicer things about the new me. No more insomnia or waking tired. Rather than wake Erin by getting up, I send a copy to check emails, but the laptop's good morning burble wakes her anyhow. "Good morning sleepyhead", I tease. Which makes her startle and leap out of bed in bobcat form. "Relax, I didn't mind you coming in to bed for snuggles. Bad dreams, huh?"

The bobcat turns back to an embarrassed looking girl in pyjamas. "Not after I jumped in with you. Sorry for that, I wasn't really thinking straight."

I ignore the open-goal pun. "It's cool. I had awful dreams yesterday. Makes sense you get 'em too."

She comes and sits on the floor by me-in-the-bed, watching other me fiddle with the computer. "You came for me. I know security did too, and about half the Kimbas, so it isn't fair, but it feels like you were the only one who came for me. So you've become my safe place. I'm... I'm still exclusive with Sara, but I love you in a different way, you know?"

I reach and pet her hair, making her smile and nuzzle against my hand. "Works for me. I'm happy I came for you. I'm happy I met you."

"Me too", she agrees.

Over at the computer, the Head wants me in at lunchtime, probably giving herself time to think things through. Sensei Tolman has sent out a message that a small remedial martial arts class will be picking up from this morning and run Monday-Wednesday-Friday first through second period. Journeyman's class will be a one-off, fourth period along with Nikki and Chou, and then he'll make a decision what to offer, if I need it and would benefit.

A thought occurs to me. Given I've got Caitlin for ranges third period, if I can get working on my little project in the labs right after breakfast, maybe she can advise how powered weapons get tested and certified to use?

There's a knock on the door, it's Chou. Tai chi is off, for obvious but frustrating reasons. I hope they nail that nuisance sniper. Makes me send a thread off pondering how to deal with bullets. Some short term, small size variation on refractive shield? I can track the things with g-sense, and I should be fast enough to slap a shield into their path. That needs practise, though. Another question for Caitlin.

I take a minute to check with Chou that the Tao is cool with my current plans, which presumably it knows. She gives a disgusted look and says "yes, annoyingly it seems to love you. It's practically purring." Which makes Erin and me snicker. But it's good news, too.

Breakfast is mostly dominated by Ayla getting the Sims Manual Of Doom, which I'd dearly like to borrow for myself just out of curiosity. I may not be going into the sims, but I'd like to get all my stuff programmed in so I could, in theory. They'll be going in there on Saturday for a trial run. I'm sure there were stories about that, but tragically I didn't read them in time. Still, stories imply drama... I drop a word to Hank, as the sensible tactical one, to watch the group's tail Saturday, since although I don't know details, my memories imply something will happen. Even if, as he assures me, it's just a calibration thing. But he takes the warning seriously, so that should help.

Breakfast also gives me a chance to grab Bunny, and ask her if I can borrow her working space for a bit. Turns out she has a free period, so we can head down there together. Fun fun.

Huh, there's some noise over near the Alpha table? Tansy Walcutt is running out of the room, along with a couple of other girls that must have been sitting beside her, covered in some sort of mess that looks like breakfast (bacon, eggs *and* grapefruit?) but pings my life sense as "predator, attacking". WTF? If I don't miss my guess that has the smell of a Jobe prank. Oh wait, of course... that must be the opening salvo in the engineers' war Bunny told me about. Jobe is a devisor. Heh.

Necromancy has become a nice, relaxing, start the morning gently class, with Sara by my side. But I'll be doing a couple of other things now at the same time, and both are interestingly new. First outing for my newly tailored gi in Sensei Tolman's class. And my project.

The devisor labs are quiet, only one or two people down there, nobody I know except Bunny who's with me.

"So, like, I recognise the symptoms, you've got an idea and it's bugging you, right?"

I nod. "Both the what, and the how. I want to see if I can do a thing... my kinda different way. Um, I need these components, if you give me them I'll give you back perfect copies." And I list off a bunch of electrical stuff. "Oh, and some pure silver, if you can get it? Just a small bit is fine." Turns out that's not too tall an order around here.

"Why silver, though?", she asks.

"Best conductor."

"It tarnishes though. No use, practically."

"Not if I'm working with atomically pure stuff in hard vacuum."

"Oh this, I have got to see."

So first the components. I want to reduce them to their functional part, I won't need the human-labels and housings. Big me comes forward a little to help me handle the amount of information. I make a branched tentacle and one by one pick them apart, learning how the atoms go, memorizing patterns. And then make copies appear in my other hand, to give back to Bunny. She's squinting at me like it's some kind of trick.

"Now, a workspace", I say, and make a bubble of repulsion around a space in front of me. Quickly it turns silvery as the vacuum inside deepens. Air hits the walls and just gets flung out. Then I carefully flatten the gravity gradient inside, make a slight well to hold an object steady. And then I start to draw with matter creation, building a whiskery circuit inside.

"This one's just a basic blinker. Power on!" I connect the line to the cell battery I copied. A point of light appears, disappears, appears... an LED, running in vacuum, needs no housing.

"Holy shit, um, poopie, sorry I cussed but wow."

I say, "Next stage. The power unit I've been thinking up." The circuit I just drew, I vanish, and start fresh with a complicated spherical thing. With a simple naked LED wired to it. "If this works how I think it should, I should get power out." A bright point of light. "Good good. This may actually work." And I vanish the wires and LED, and start drawing my full design around the power unit. Whiskery control circuits webbed around much chunkier main circuits, building on a design big me helped me shape.

Bunny's looking at it, like, she's kind of trying to read out what it does. "Um, forcefield driver, plasma emitter, I think? But the power rating on that thick wire must be something nasty. Oh wowie. Jules, I gotta warn you, don't flip the switch on that. It's a strict rule. Power weapons get looked at first, then tested, then they're yours."

I nod. "Can I run it up just enough to test for gamma leakage and thermal waste?"

She nods. "If it's at a power level where it'd do no more than make a lil pop if it goes horribly wrong, that's usually okay."

Tiny purple spark at the tip. I can see places that are leaking a bit of heat, so I wrap heat pipes around them and add vanes like flower petals up front. No weird glows in the higher energy wavelengths. Seems solid. Time to seal it up. I flow non-conductive ceramic over the floating circuitry, a ridge to keep my fingers away from the hot vanes, knurled grip. Showing no thermal build-up. Seems good. Power off, I fade the vacuum bubble's repulsion walls, air rushes back in with a puff that blows papers around, and let it drop into my hand.

Oh hey, I have an audience. I smile up at them.

Bunny says, sounding a little awed, "That's a lightsaber, isn't it? You just figured how to make it in your head and wished it into existence."

I grin. "It's not just one, either. What I make, I have a pattern for. What I have a pattern for..." And a second saber appears in my other hand, "I can make, and unmake." I vanish the second saber.

"And you'll never be unarmed again." Adult voice. "Assuming that toy is safe to use, which we don't know yet. Hi, I'm Mr Asterlitz, I'm normally the workshop project manager here. You're Parallel, right?" I nod. "Thought so. I also thought you were only gadgeteer rated. I've seen many of those built by devisors, although rarely so elegantly. But gadgeteers always run into the problem that the best battery current science can build would need a half-ton backpack to power one of those. How does yours run? I saw no energy storage."

"I cheat", I admit. "The core power unit is an electron-positron annihilation circuit inside a tuned resonance chamber, with a rectenna pickup. As near pure and total energy capture as thermodynamics permits. But where the electrons and positrons come from... I'm creating them, in place, continuously."

"Creating both matter, and antimatter?"

I nod. "It's just the same thing with the time coordinate flipped. And before you ask, no I'm not going to drop a kilo of anti-hydrogen into your lap. I prefer to remain un-vaporized." Honestly, it took a bit of help by big me, to flip the electrons around, although now I have the knack I can do it myself. I don't think she'd help me detonate the entire continent. Contrary to her nature - and mine, really.

"Thank you for that", he nods, wincing a bit. "So the maximum power you can put into that unit is what?"

"It's rated for ten kilowatts, the blade should be tight enough that will be plenty. I'm trying to cut things, not melt them."

He nods. "That's at the high end for a laser die cutter, but still only for thin materials."

"Should be a lot tighter, it's field-compressed, not lensed. What I want to avoid is the bit of metal I'm poking with it erupting into a shower of hot gas and burning sparks. Bad thing to have your hands near."

He grins. "Yes, that's a common failure mode for would-be sabers made by the overenthusiastic. Yes, it could drill through a battleship, but your hands would be charred sticks and your face would be on fire. Scratch that, back to the drawing board."

I nod, "Wise to avoid that if possible", remembering my arrival just days ago.


	54. Part 54

# # Part fifty four

This necromancy class, we're covering the law on necromancy. Most of the old witchcraft laws got repealed, but there's always people arguing for them back, and arguably some of it would come under more modern use of powers and responsible magic laws, as well as your regular disturbing graves, etc. The class is split on whether banning it was ever a good idea. Sara and I are against, and surprisingly, a few of the anti-necromancy students too, the witchy types. They know whose back the target is painted on, when the law goes around licensing witch hunts.

While we're toing and froing, I show Sara what I'm up to on the other side, which makes her send me the feeling of a smirk, while maintaining a perfect poker face for the class. "Star Wars was never my fandom, really. Going to be a Jedi, huh? I can't really see you as a Darth anything."

"More your style", I tease. "You'd look good with a red lightsaber."

"Darth Marala", she snickers. "Okay, I have to cosplay that some time. I might even learn a bit about it first so I don't embarrass myself."

"It's mostly very silly and a lot violent", I admit. "But I have a fondness for the Jedi in principle. Even if in practise the ones in the movies were mostly asses."

"And what about the, what are they called, Sith?"

"All asses. Evil is not a personality trait. Hating everything is neither fun, nor does it make any friends. That said, I disagree with the way the canon staples together passionate intensity with becoming evil. I feel serenity requires the ability to move with your passion. So I slightly agree with their principles, while disapproving of all the Sith we're shown. And thinking grasping after power for its own sake is silly."

"Mmm, we agree on that. So that makes you what, a half-and-half?" With the sensation of a tongue being poked out at me.

"Makes me a me, I guess. And turns out, my saber is purple. Synthesis."

"Hot plasma. You'd best be careful it doesn't put out so much UV it'll give you a tan."

"If I goofed on that, it should come out in the testing", I agree.

Sensei Tolman's class is using the proper martial arts room this time, so it's my first sight of the famed capture cage. There's a few other kids already there, three girls and a boy, and another boy gets there just after me.

"Arright, you're all here now, so shut up!" Not one for wasting time, is the sensei. "When I point to each of you in turn, I want you each to give your codename, a short description of what your powers are, and if you want, a sentence or two of background."

As her finger moves around we each do as she asked.

"Bottle rocket, gadgeteer, I do fireworks mostly" A short blonde girl.

"Firebox, pyrokinetic, I'm from Chicago and I chose my name because I like trains." A black tomboyish girl.

"Thumper. I'm just a brick, I hit things." She's a pretty brunette, but isn't making much effort with it. Looks a bit depressed.

"ST, just the initials, it doesn't stand for anything. I can hide from notice, invisibility, sound and scent. I'm from Quebec, not France." Short dark-haired boy, strong accent.

"Arclight, I can make hot, bright sparks between body parts." Blond guy, he has a sort of cowboy look, very neat and tidy.

"Parallel, exemplar, warper, regen, life sorcery, claws and teeth, invisibility, multiple bodies, tentacles, and I can manifest weapons. I'm kinda mostly not human. Still friendly though."

Tolman picks up. "Okay. As you can see, you are different power levels, different origins, some of you are have experience fighting, others do not. You are united by one thing: you didn't take basic martial arts last term. You were not here, or you didn't choose to do it. Either way, you did not take combat finals, and this term you are not permitted to join a training team or take advanced combat electives. And you want to change this. This is remedial basic martial arts, people! You will all show dedication to the goal of getting passed by me, at the end of this short term, to participate in combat as equals with your peers - or I will flunk you without hesitation. Is that clear? Say 'yes Sensei'."

I chorus "Yes, Sensei" with the others.

"Okay, go get changed into a gi. You were instructed to bring one, so if you forgot, you will be sitting the lesson out, not a good start. Changing rooms are girls there, boys there. Two minutes people, go!"

After combat movement yesterday, I feel a flinch building at the idea of changing together... speed up my timebase and take a moment to track that down and root it out. It's based in my less than fun original childhood and I won't have it spoiling the fun in this one. I am going to go into this expecting niceness. I take a moment to comfort the part of me that used to feel vulnerable and alone, reassure it that I'm both loved, and strong. We will make friends in this class. If anyone is an ass, we will handle it with dignity and common sense.

Thus reassured, I set my timebase back to normal and head into the changing rooms smiling.

I think from the looks the others are giving me as I get in, they're perhaps a little scared of me, which puts my earlier fear into perspective. I still do my tentacles changing trick, since it saves a lot of time, but also because I want them to see me for who I am. These tentacles are here to do the ordinary, people stuff (as well as the hot tentacle sex stuff, but that's not for class).

It's Firebox who, having done changing, gets up the gumption to approach me. "Hey, I'm Riley. Is it really true you aren't human? Because those tentacles are kind of cool."

I grin. "I'm Jules. Yeah, you know Carmilla, cute but scary demon girl?" She nods. Sara's hard to miss. "I'm kinda sorta the same kind of thing as her, mostly. Although my body's still more human than not, and I was human this time two weeks ago."

"Weird, do you like it?"

I nod. "I like it a whole lot. But we should get out there before Sensei calls time's up. Talk later if you want?" It's one minute and fifty seconds into the two minutes she gave us.

She nods, "later!" And we both walk out.

As I guessed, Sensei Tolman calls out, "Two minutes is up, get your butts out here people!"

A small amount of grumbling and "just give me a second!"s later, the lot of us are out of changing and ready to learn. Nobody forgot their gi.

"Alright. First off, yeah I saw your worried looks, yes some of you are very much more powerful than others. But this class is based on two principles. Firstly, you will learn the basics, like a baseline, so you can handle yourself in the surprisingly common case that your powers are somehow nullified or not safe to use. Such as a pyrokinetic in a hospital room full of patients on oxygen. Secondly, you will learn that nobody is invulnerable, and a skilled baseline can defeat an unskilled mutant much more powerful than themselves. You will receive some training in the best use of your individual powers, but that is less my focus. Regular combat classes will pick that up next term, if you pass." And then the pep talk is over and it's down to work.

For the rest of the class, we go through Aikido forms in constantly shifting pairs. Those of us with better memories who pick up the technique as tori in one or two goes, end up being uke for the others who are coming along more slowly. It's clear that, at least at this stage, Sensei is keen to drag us all up to the same base level. For myself, I find I enjoy learning it, and I enjoy helping the others along. It's nice to feel free of the fear of damaging something, so I can focus on the flow.

Finally, the class is over, and when I return to the changing room there's no repetition of yesterday's shenanigans. Looks like I'm here with a nicer group of kids. This time I get to enjoy showering off, teleport myself dry, and get dressed the regular, rather than sneaky switcheroo way.

Riley's one of the slow learners, but she's methodical and determined. I like her style. As we're changing she gets chatting, and I mention the book on steam model railways I read in ARC, and that gets her happily chatting away about the trains she's ridden in, and the ways a stock yard works. Autistic, perhaps? But a nice kid, and it's an enjoyable enthusiasm. I'm a little sad when I have to wave goodbye and head to Flight class (which is nearby).

Over on the other side, I get to show off my saber to Sara while she's walking with me towards the range. A pity that I can't run it yet, but I'm not about to risk random students getting shrapnel from an ill-conceived design going off like a bomb. But she suggests some edits to pretty it up, and I nudge the shape of the ceramic coating to fit, until she pronounces her approval. I vanish it, but keep the pattern.

Hmm, a thought occurs to me. One that would be better shared down the mark. "Love, you know the head wants to see me at lunchtime?"

"I do", she says. "I know that feeling tone, you've got a plan, haven't you?"

"Yup yup", I send her the feeling of a wide grin. "How about we introduce the Head, with her permission, to a change of venue? You could be there. Explanations might be best given there for certain things."

"Oho. Admit everything, hmm?" Quoting Mrs P.

"Yeah. Honestly, I want her on the inside helping, not on the outside being a stumbling block. We've all got long term plans and I think ours interlock hers. We shouldn't be bumping into each other so much."

She nods. "I'll set that up. Worst case, I get to spend time with the folks."

And then we're at the range, so we part ways.

Caitlin's already busy there, setting up ridiculously huge guns. She looks so odd toting them around like they were made of balsa and pool noodles - yeah, I know I could do the same, and would look as odd, but I'm not entirely used to the craziness here yet.

"Hey there, need a pair of hands to help?" I offer.

She nods. "Sure, grab a couple of those ammo boxes, follow me." I grab them in tentacles, running up several threads to warn me of any safety issues, I'm being careful around her to correct my accurate but unflattering early impression.

As we go, I say, "What's the procedure for getting a new lightsaber certified as safe?"

She puts down the big gun in its booth. "Got it with you?" I nod and hand her one . "I notice you didn't have that in your pocket when you came in. Ammo boxes go down there."

"It's a pattern now, I can make them", I admit, putting the boxes in the place indicated. "Haven't run it up any higher than about a nine volt battery's worth of power just to ensure it wasn't leaking nasties."

She nods, hefts and looks at the thing. "Not magical. Feels slightly outsider-ish and linked to you. Can you show me the innards?"

I nod. "Sure, but I'll need to bring up a bubble if I don't want it to corrode instantly. Hold up." Taking it back, I float it up into the gravity cradle, then remake the vacuum bubble around it. Then I can just wave back the ceramic and let her look at the circuitry.

"Heh, nice. Matter creation, right? Mmm, looks tolerably well engineered. Power supply?"

"Cheating. I make electrons and positrons inside. Runs that gubbins."

She nods, clearly getting how it works just from looking. "Okay, cover it up." I wave the ceramic back on, dissipate the vacuum and drop the saber into my hand.

"I'll book you a slot to get it tested. Perhaps tonight. Seems like it ought to work to me, but I'd like to watch it do its thing. Nice engineering."

"Thanks." We start walking back for the next bit of heavy equipment.

"The dancing naked demons on the handle, though?"

"Well, they do help with grip", I grin. "Sara's idea. But it suits me nicely. Luke Skywalker I am not."

"Thank goodness for that. Boy didn't listen to instructions", is Caitlin's verdict.


	55. Part 55

# # Part fifty five

Shooting those big guns was fun, and very loud. Reminds me of my previous childhood. I had some fun with much smaller guns there too. Sadly, though, the lesson reaches its end. I'd offer to help Caitlin pack away, but I have to get moving fast if I'm going to grab an in-passing snack before heading to meet the Head. Might not be important if plans go as expected, but I'd rather not be hungry all afternoon, or have to risk doing direct matter creation into my own bloodstream to feed myself.

After Caitlin examines my gun to make sure I haven't done something daft like left a round inside, I'm free to go, so I thank her and head out in a rush. Grabbing a pasty from the machine, I pocket it for later. Make a second self, to check I haven't got any embarrassing gun grease on me... nah I'm cool. Okay vanish that, and here we go. Take a second. In-breath, out-breath, centered and serene. And I walk into the admin section.

"Parallel, to see the Head. I'm expected."

The receptionist nods. "Take a seat, I'll buzz her."

Taking time to observe the layout of the room, I get a feeling of what a book I once read would call Hauissh, things being ordered in a certain way to subtly put a certain person in a position of oversight and therefore power over the others in the room... interesting. So that exemplar-pretty blonde pretending to be just another secretary is probably Ms Hartford.

She glances up and catches my look. "Problem?" It's not asked in a friendly way, but I can feel it's sort of testing.

I shake my head. "No, ma'am."

My respectful answer gets a curious slight head tilt. "I hear you're friendly with Paige Donner." Next move in the game, sente to her.

"She's someone I'm extremely fond of, and protective of", I agree. "Ma'am, are you Ms Hartford, her adviser?" Sente to me.

"Good guess. Yes, I am. And I too, feel protective of her. She is not to be drawn into the orbit of the Kimbas, just because you personally seem to enjoy their company." Aggressive play seems to be her style.

"It seems unlikely to be an issue, ma'am. We all worked together on the rescue, but she isn't into their kind of hijinks. Nor, to be honest, am I. You may have noticed I worked with security, rather than just rushing in, powers blazing."

"Yes, I did", she nods, looking thoughtful. And then seeing the door to the Head's room opening, which ends our little match, she says, "See that you continue."

"Yes, ma'am", I say, and then Head steps out, and says, "Miss Parallel, come in."

It's immediately obvious things are going to follow a slightly different trajectory than I'd planned when I see we aren't alone in the room. A man, with a very Colonel Sanders look, goatee and white suit included, is standing, but was obviously sitting a moment ago, which suggests he's being polite.

Mrs Carson says, "Tywyswyr, this is Miss Parallel, who we've been speaking of. Miss Parallel, this is Mr Tywyswyr, a trustee of the school and a person of some importance outside it."

Where did I see that name? Oh yes, the portrait in the corridor from Crystal Hall. Which was not of a human. "Sir, a pleasure to meet you." I bow, because I haven't learned to curtsey yet, but it feels like I should do something.

He looks a bit charmed. "Well, and a pleasure to meet you too. Please, sit. Would you like some coffee?" I can see there's a sort of portable Turkish coffee service set at the table. And yes, I did notice he's the one offering the seat. So the Head either feels he outranks her, or is choosing to give that impression.

I take the offered seat. "Thank you sir, that sounds lovely. I'm fond of coffee, although I admit to not having a trained palette for it."

"That will come with time", he says. "Which, it seems, you will have plenty of."

I nod. "I seem to have been the subject of conversation. I'm not sure how much you discussed my nature, but I expect to be alive a million years from now, excluding mishaps. Time enough to learn coffee properly."

He pours into a tiny cup from the cezve, and hands it to me. I take it, smile and sip. Predictably, it's good.

He says, "Time enough, indeed. Yes, your nature has been rather at the center of our discussion. A number of matters of concern revolve around it. For example, the sniper attack on Miss Donner."

"It was my guess, that it was aimed at me", I say.

He nods. "An interesting guess, You must tell me how you reached it with very little evidence. But a correct one."

Mrs Carson picks up, "The pair who were laying in wait have been apprehended, after they gave themselves away seeking black-market medical help for a runaway were transformation. The group behind the attack is being swept up, too, as we speak. I should be able to lift our lockdown by dinner. But it's a symptom, of an issue that has brought Mr Tywyswyr here. The government is worried about you specifically, and the little group you've formed about yourself as well. That worry has expressed itself as overreaction by some elements, who will regret their mistake, it has also expressed itself by prevailing on one of our trustees to act as an emissary."

"To be honest, I would have come anyway", Tywyswyr says. "My own interest has been piqued, so I was happy to accept the mission."

Mrs Carson says, "To save dancing around the point, we've already spoken of your nature, and we've discussed the disturbing conversation that was reported to me by Lieutenant Forsyth. He mentioned you had plans to come to me and speak about that. I take it, that was why you emailed to ask for an appointment?"

"One of the reasons, yes", I say. And, now feels like the right timing to put plans into action. "Sir, Ma'am, I'd like to suggest a change of venue for this conversation, one that will help to elucidate some of my other reasons."

"To where?", asks Mrs Carson.

"To the personal realm of Gothmog, great old one, demon, Sara's father, my grandfather by lineage, and my concurrent host and tutor. Sara came into this room from there before, ma'am. I propose going to there the same way."

The two of them look at each other. Tywyswyr says, "I confess to being intrigued. I hadn't expected that move."

I say, "Ma'am. I received an email from Mrs P, yesterday. She told me to and I quote, 'admit everything'. I'm choosing to interpret that broadly, but it does include this conversation. I intend not just to be truthful, but to lay out the whole truth, and my intentions. The change of venue will help."

The Head winces, a bit. "She's a meddler. Alright, give me a moment." She picks up the phone handset, buzzes. "Amelia Hartford." A pause. "Hi, Amelia. I'm going off campus, it should be brief. But you're acting Head until I return. Thank you." She hangs up. "Alright, whenever you're ready."

I walk over to the room's door, and open it - onto sunshine, and blue skies. Gothmog, who I've been updating about the change of plans via Sara, is stood there looking very smart. He bows. "Sir, ma'am, you are welcome as guests in my realm. I'm Gothmog, you may also know me as my alias, Antonio Marques Dominguez. Please do come in." Naming them guests, I feel, has a significance to it, one that both of them understand.

The Head, and the dragon, step through the door, and I follow them through. Gothmog closes it behind us, and it vanishes. Then he says, "please follow me. My apologies for the unsightliness of our preparations for hosting our planned conference."

The building sprawls, managing to still look tasteful, but there's no concealing the fact it's sized for an army.

The Head says, "Why do I get the sinking feeling this conference is going to involve my students?"

"The cult of the Kellith will be hosting", says Gothmog, who I feel, is enjoying tweaking her a bit. "So yes, my daughter will be center stage."

"Hosting?", she asks, "Who else is invited, then?"

"All the Earth's religions", says Gothmog. "We are planning the first public, verifiable, off world, globally ecumenical conference. And introducing to the world, a newly hatched power, my granddaughter."

That makes the Head wince hard. "Admit everything... I see."

Tywyswyr begins chuckling, and it turns into a laugh. "I like it, I like it. Many others won't, but it's the most excitement I've had in centuries. Elizabeth, I think this child has us wrapped around her finger."

"Which is an uncomfortable place to be." She doesn't sound approving.

I say, "Forgive me the theatrics, but some news is best broken piecemeal. I've told you I intend to lay the whole thing out. It will take me time to join all the dots."

Conveniently, we're entering the living room now, which gives Gothmog a chance to break the tension by acting as host. The dragon's amused grin shows me understands how that changes the power dynamic. Now *we* are offering drinks and snacks to *them*. On our territory. Once they're seated, I grab a seat.

And, as other me, that's my cue. Stepping into the room, with Sara at my side, I bow to the assembled group. "Mr Tywyswyr, sir, Headmistress, I've been staying here some days now, and studying great old one type sorcery."

The dragon says, "So, all the family's here."

Gothmog smiles. "Sir, ma'am, I'm aware you know of our nature, and the larger war we're fighting, as the pro-human faction among the great old ones. Myself for awhile, my daughter picking up the effort beside me since her own hatching. What you may not be aware of yet, is that perhaps the pivotal move in that war was played last Monday, at your school."

"I know what happened. I'm not sure how it relates to your war", the Head says.

Sara says, "We've been fighting at a disadvantage. Always on the back foot, because the rules were stacked against us. The enemy's efforts to incite division and reflect his own bigotry into human behaviour kept inching forward. The rules of life used to favour dissolution and strife. After what Jules did, now suddenly we have the upper hand. Which, predictably, is panicking the enemy. We think, Mr Tywyswyr, that some of the government level enmity you've seen is his finger-puppets."

The dragon looks thoughtful. "I suppose it could be so, I've often felt the taint of meddling of that sort. Although I haven't been able to pin it down further."

"He's probably just nudging them oh so slightly", Sara says. "After he worked for centuries to structure the bigotry and selfishness that animates them, he only has to lean a little on their dreams, point them where they were already rolling." Which gets a nod from the dragon.

"And now we get to the matter of 'influence'", I say from my chair. "You both know that what I did had effects on humanity, globally. And that it's having an accelerated effect, locally, in the school. It's my belief that the enemy will use this, his newly introduced worst weakness, to strike at us. To incite resistance to a change that would drag humans out of his influence, on the basis of fear of the unknown. I believe part of what Mrs P was pushing me towards, was tearing off the informational sticking plaster."

"The conference?", says Tywyswyr.

"Is part of it", I say. "First, ma'am, with your permission and guidance, I plan to announce it on WARS, to the school. Then, use the publicity of the conference to confirm that broadcast, previously obscure and not credible, to the larger world."

Mrs Carson hisses through her teeth. "That is... a plan that makes terrifying sense. I can see how any concealment can be worked easily into a pitchfork mob. I also see how if this goes bad, you could be global enemy number one, and I'm not sure I could protect you even with the resources of the school. Not all of *them* would be on side, you see. This risks shattering the coalition I've built."

"I know", I say. "It's a vast gamble, but in essence what we need to do is just hold ground. We've already made a tide-turning move. All we need to do, is consolidate it." I sigh, "That's not the only bit of news we risk the enemy using. Part of Sara's and my battle plan in this war is to breed into the humans, help nudge them towards us."

"Jet's outburst", says the Head. "I had asked Mrs Horton to discreetly look into that."

Cue for pregnant me to step in, wearing a nicely decorous sundress and sandals. From that body, I say, "And now, all the family is really here. Meet Junior."

"The father?" the Head says, sounding strangled.

"Myself", I say.

"Which slips you through a gap I hadn't thought to close in my prohibition. Consider it closed as of now, because they absolutely will use this to whip up a mob against you."

"We're keeping her", I say. "On this we are determined, she's already a person to us. Would you like to meet her, ma'am? I can relay life sense, if you'll hold my hand."

Mrs Carson, still frowning, nods, and takes my offered hand.

"You can see she's well implanted and starting to differentiate" The Head and I can both feel Junior's serenely contented gaze.

Tywyswyr says, "Ahead of schedule for humans by some days."

I nod. "She's not human on either side of her parentage. We don't know how fast she will grow. But she's one of our family, she'll be on the pro-human side by lineage, probably by temperament."

The Head, letting go of my hand, sighs. I know she won't be able to will harm against Junior either, now they've met. "What do you want me to do?"

"For now, just don't expel me or drop stumbling blocks under my feet", I say. "For later... I know I'm leaning on my influence to even dare ask this, but I want the prohibition on pregnancy taken down. That may have to wait until people outside my accelerating influence grow mellower, but both Sara and I have work to do, and waiting until we're eighteen is handing years of lead time to the enemy."

Tywyswyr cracks up. "Oh I love this child. To your face, she asks that. And backs it up with solid logic. So, Elizabeth, what will you do?"

Red faced, the Head grits her teeth. "The first, granted. The second, I will... think about it."

"Now that, I approve of", says an unexpected feminine voice from the kitchen area. And Gothmog's sudden worried expression drops the ground out from under my feet. This is *his* realm. Nobody and nothing should be here unless he wills it. How, what?

A rounded, very maternal black woman walks into the room, from the kitchen. Actually, I say maternal, she looks pregnant, not just large. "A fine day for a family gathering, if I do say so myself. And now we really *are* all here."


	56. Part 56

# # Part fifty six

"Grandma. You were not invited", Sara snarls.

"But I came anyway, dear, like I always do." She looks like she could use a place to sit down, so I get up out of my chair and she smiles, and says, "thank you, child", and takes the seat. And looking over to Gothmog, she says, "And you can stop trying to push me out. It won't work, dear. I'm not here today to cause you trouble."

He bows, conceding it. "Ma'am. I hope not, because I clearly can't prevent it."

I ask, "So, if you'll pardon the curiosity, what are you here to do?" I'm not quite sure what to make of her. Despite everything, she doesn't feel hostile.

She smiles. "I came here to meet the family, of course. And your other interesting visitors too."

"Ma'am, we haven't been introduced", says Tywyswyr. I'm sure he's made a good guess who she is, but he's the sort to stand on formality.

I jump in to do it. Maybe it's ignorance, but something tells me I don't need to be too afraid of her. "Um, I'm not sure which name you prefer to use?"

"Well I've been called a great many things, but the one I dislike the least is 'The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young', even if it does under-count by more than a little. Much better than the so called proper name that foolish racist man gave me. Mrs Goat, if you want to use human conventions. I'm fond of goats, one of my better creations."

Alright. "Mrs Goat, meet Mr Tywyswyr, a trustee of the school I study at, and Mrs Carson, Headmistress of the school. Mr Tywyswyr, Headmistress, please meet my great-grandma by lineage, the personified power of creation and life, Mrs Goat."

"There, now it's done properly", she says, with a smile. "And you needn't hide your fear behind formality, Sthri. I'm used to being feared, it doesn't bother me." She looks at me. "Actually, I'm a little curious why don't seem to, child?"

I consider that. "I'm not entirely sure. You feel... not inclined to harm us at the moment. Close to benevolent, for us and for now. It doesn't feel like that's a trick. Logically, you don't need to trick us. I feel... attachment to you. You're a member of the family, and I'm happy to meet you, even if you are also terrifying by nature."

"Well, now, that's the nicest thing anyone's said to me all day." She grins. "You know, my high priestess doesn't really like her job..."

Sara interrupts, "Grandma! I won't have you pressuring her into taking on my burden!" My brave beloved.

"Who's pressuring anybody?", she ripostes. "Granddaughter, since a certain child of yours wedged her newly formed self into me last Monday night, I've had a conscience I neither want nor need, but there it is, and I don't hold a grudge for it, life will do what it will do, even to me. I'm offering to share the work, by her permission. It might suit her, have you considered that?"

Sara looks like she's not buying it. "Coming here, being like this, you're trying to manipulate us. It's a facade, this isn't what you are."

"Yes, dear, I won't deny it. What I am, is that which shouldn't be. And won't be, soon enough. That fool boy can only impose an impossibility so far. But we have purpose in common, to get it over with quickly."

Sara, grudgingly, nods.

I say, "I'll genuinely consider it, ma'am. I may need to ask you further for what it would entail."

"Good girl. Just say 'Mrs Goat', with an intention of reaching me, and I'll be there", she nods. "Alright, well, last but not least, let's meet the youngest of the family." Looking over at pregnant me.

She gestures, I can feel something like us-type magic but stranger, and a pink spark flies from my belly, and resolves itself next to her as the pink-glowing, translucent form of a child, who looks around. "'Ello, gre-gre-gamma", a clear and enthusiastic girl's voice. "Ello mama, ello mama Sara, ello gre-ganpa, ello missuz Car Sun, ello mister dragon. Can I see your wings?" Oh god, it's Junior, and I'm in love. And I think, everyone else is too.

"How?", asks the Head, charmed but also confused. "Just a moment ago she was just cells."

Junior turns to her. "I's not borned yet, missuz Car Sun. But I is here already same way gre-gre-gamma is. Already every place. But happy to be cells now. It's good sleep. Mama's soft. Can I go back, gre-gre-gamma? I see your wings later mister dragon." Yes, I'm crying. I dare anyone not to in the circumstance. I love her so much.

Mrs Goat smiles. "Yes, you may go back dear." And waves to send the spark back into me. I rub my belly and feel the way life sense has Junior snuggling up to me. Still crying.

Turning to the Head, Mrs Goat says, "I won't tell you how to run your school, Elizabeth Carson. But what all of these children are doing is important. Including Junior, as will be later. And you should be warned that although he's clouded the details from my sight, my old opponent, who I shan't name, has his attention very much fixed upon your school. Make of that what you will."

The Head just nods.

Mrs Goat takes a deep breath and stands up. "Alright, I shan't stand on ceremony, I've done what I came to do. It has been a pleasure meeting you all." And she just isn't there any more.

It takes a moment of quiet, waiting for the other shoe to drop, before I look to Gothmog for confirmation, and he nods. "Yes, she's fully gone. My sincerest apologies, that wasn't planned at all." He looks a bit frazzled.

Drying my eyes on my sleeve, I say, "I think we should head back. I have lessons after lunch period." (Speaking of which... I'll just grab a few of those edibles to fill me up. Much nicer than the plastic-packed pasty still sat in my pocket, and strong emotion leaves me drained and hungry.)

That provides all the excuse the Head and Tywyswyr need, and the both of them make it clear, politely, that they have pressing engagements and should be going too. Sara is in a class with me right after lunch, so the four of us troop back through an opened door into Mrs Carson's office. When it shuts, the Head breathes a sigh. "That... I don't even have words for it now. Run along, Jules, Sara. I have a lot of thinking to do."

"As do I", says Tywyswyr. "It has, despite circumstances, been a pleasure meeting you both."

"Pleasure meeting you too, sir." I bow again. Sara does likewise. Then we head for the exit. Whee. That was about as heavy as heavy messing gets. But at least all my cards are on the table, now. That one burden is lifted.

There's about half an hour left before the lessons begin. A short underground walk takes us back to Sara's room, Paige is already there (back in her fur form now), and happy to be kitty in the middle of a hug from both of us, snuggled together on the bed while we fill her in on what happened.

Despite the fact I've got loads of minds to work with, my head is pretty much spinning. I'm really not sure what impression we ultimately gave the Head and the dragon. I think, the Head will still be on side with the "tell everything" project. The dragon I'm less sure of, but he sees the logic. But I know they both looked spooked as fuck when they got back, and I can hardly blame them. Something that rates against your average class X threat like a nuclear bomb compared to a campfire, stopped over to see the family. Two of which are in her school. Honestly, I hope merely being physically near Mrs Goat didn't harm them.

"Is it dangerous, the job, being life's high priestess?", I ask Sara.

"For us, no, it's just a part of my identity I can't avoid and don't enjoy, it would squish a human, but neither of us is that any more." She pauses. "You know, if we win, if we defeat him, what he made will unravel. Grandma won't be grandma. And because she defined me, I'll at least be transformed in some way. And I can't know how. I could actually just die, though I'm trying to avoid that, but it's unavoidable that I'll be changed because I won't be the High Priestess of Life any more. Giving up something like that tends to re-write your existence."

"Everything always changes, I think", I say. "There's no truly stable rock, the stability is the dance, and we'll be dancing it together. No matter what. I won't let go of you."

Paige chimes in with "Mhm, no dying. We'll all stay together. If you're changed, we'll love the changed you. I know you've done the same for me."

"I suppose I did", Sara agrees, smiling. Although I can tell she's still worried. I wish there was more I could do to reassure her, but it's a terrible situation to be stuck in.

For a few minutes, we just snuggle up together and let the strains of the day wash away in simple love and Paige-petting.

"Hey Paige", I say, which gets a curious "Mrr?" in response. "I just remembered something important. The Head told us the folks who shot at you, got caught when the one you chewed on turned kitty and tried to get a dirty doc to treat it. Confirmed they were targeting me."

She picks up, sounding worried, "Means it's likely the rest of our guessing was right too, they saw me and knew me. And lived to tell their bosses. Damn it."

"I won't let you be fate's chew toy again", I say. And Sara says "Same here, beloved. And this school is where you stay. I think maybe the time for hiding is over."

I say, "Upside, I think the Head is making things unpleasant for the line of command that authorized the whole thing. That may sow enough chaos into the bureaucracy that the question of your identity doesn't come up right away."

"Buys us time", Paige says, tail twitching. "It will, eventually, reach the ears of someone who wants me either a lobotomized servant of the state or dead, and has the power to try and make it happen."

"If they declare war on us, we declare war on them", I say. "But diplomacy may yet show fruit. You'll have to talk to the Head, she'll probably be the one brokering the talks."

Sara says, "We shouldn't forget Petra. We should bring the Knights in on this. I was already meaning to talk to them about the conference, so we can bring it up then. I'll call them up this weekend and see if they can send someone we know over."

I say, "And I need to work on my death backup ideas, we already need that for Jamie, but it would be good to have one for you and Petra too. Paige, dear, may I snapshot you, since you're right here?"

"What would it mean?" she asks.

"Just scanning you with life sense, but I'll ask big me to help me with the complexity of saving a copy. Then I should be able to manifest bodies that are clones of you. I can't yet do the soul snatch and transfer, but it's half the problem down."

"If it's Paige or Petra, I should be able to help you move the soul". Sara says, "I did that before. Jamie's a different problem though, she doesn't have a mark."

"Okay, do it", says Paige. "Damn, but it's weird. I'll be a part of you, kinda."

"Safe and protected, impossible to kill. That's what I'm aiming for. Then we can maybe tell these governments to go take a walk, because you're out of their power." I smile and kiss her, and let big me slide forward so the kiss becomes a scan, and we save a copy. "There, done."

"Sounds nice", Paige says, snuggling up against me, and purring again.


	57. Part 57

# # Part fifty seven

Sadly all good snuggles have to come to an end, and I needed to get moving to be at Journeyman's class in time. A direct jump to Poe (and giving Erin a scare, sorry!) and I have my kit. I'm going to assume sweats, but I'll bring the gi in case. A few speedy teleports through the tunnels, and I catch up to Nikki and Chou as they're heading in.

"Do you have any idea why I got the note to come along with you?", Nikki's asking Chou, so I figure it's her first class with the guy too.

"Got me. Dyffud is strange and different, and this should either be fun and strange or a complete pain in the ass," Chou replies, "Oh hey, Jules. You too huh?"

I nod. "Given I'm a complete white belt compared to you two, I dunno what he's planning for me. Guess we'll find out though."

"Don't worry, we'll protect you," Nikki teases, and both of them snicker.

The other two are going with simple sweats in the changing room, so I do too. And then we head together into the room, where for unknown (but possibly Instagram-friendly) reasons the guy is doing a headstand.

"Thank you for coming Miss Reilly. I am sorry to have taken you away from your other class. I did get permission from Mrs. Hagarty first however."

"Uhm… that’s alright." Nikki's fairly glowing on life sense. He's your type, huh? I think, but don't say anything out loud. Sadly, I was never able to appreciate the male form, so he just looks like another guy to me, albeit one built like a professional dancer.

"And thank you for coming, Jules. I've been told that for you, an overlapping schedule is not a problem?”

I nod. "I'm over in escape class as we speak. It won't be a problem for me."

"Convenient", he agrees as he's tipping back upright. "So this particular class is about moving from your truth."

"Mr. Harraz…", Nikki says

"Dyffud. Please."

"Dyffud, I already move from there," says Nikki.

"Ah, then perhaps your Mentor got it wrong. Could you just humor me for a little bit?"

"Sure. What would you like to do?"

"Could you please pull free Malachim's Feather? I want to spar briefly with you using weapons, that is all. I understand that Chou and Ms. Hagarty have been teaching you and you have some actual combat experience with the sword. Is this correct?"

Chou squinches back against the wall, I follow her lead, she's the experienced martial artist here.

Nikki says, "What are you going to fight with?", like she figures she's gonna chop him into chunks if it's some weedy ass non legendary sword, which would be embarrassing.

"With me. Don't worry, you won't cut me." Which gets a surprised look off everyone, he's either very good, or very arrogant. I'd lay my bets on good. The fact the other two are still taking him seriously suggests they would too.

"Uhm… Dyffud, this sword is very sharp and can cut through most things."

"Don't worry about it Nikki, this is my choice, so just come at me, for real, as if I were one of the Voodoo Wolves," he says.

Chou gives me a look, like, is this guy serious. Nikki just shrugs. "If that's what you want."

They bow, he lets her take the first move, coming at him with an upward cut, that he side-slips, and then angles for a sideways slice, that he jump-rolls over, ninja style. Okay, rate this guy as good. I'm scrolling back and forward through my memory of their motions, plotting angles and arcs. I can see the moment in my playback when his stance goes from generally receptive, to a specific committed response, and it's as soon as she begins to move. At that one instant the exchange was already decided and the rest of it is just him dancing with her. Implication, he must have known the library of moves which her opening stance offered. When she gave enough info to show which one she'd picked, he just indexed to the counter. Snip, snap, and close the trap.

He says "Is that really all you have? Come at me seriously." Which pisses Nikki off and she makes like a blender, although predictably at this point that doesn't do a damn thing except getting him to back up some.

"You're the Queen of the West? What a fucking joke?" He's winding her up... No, wait, I know that body language. He's winding *her* up. Interesting... and before I have much time to ponder it he's inside Nikki's blade and gets her with an elbow right to the diaphragm. Which ends the fight right there.

Immediately, his wind-up merchant attitude disappears, and he's back to Yoda, doing a few acupressure-style finger jabs and I can see Nikki's life flow getting back stabilized. He smiles. "You weren't moving from your truth and that gave me an opening. That is what we need to work on."

Chou goes and helps Nikki up, while she's asking him "How did you stop the sword?"

Yeah, definitely a Yoda style smirk there, "A forearm block."

"The sword should have gone through your arm", Nikki insists. Meanwhile I'm backtracking again, analysing it. He never contacted the blade's edge. Caught the flat at a slight diagonal and turned so the sword's momentum was wasted into empty air while he was slipping inside it. Ballsy damn move.

"Perhaps", he shrugs. Details are evidently not the lesson's point. "So... what do I mean by moving from your truth?" He pauses, they don't answer, he looks at me. "Jules, I could see you analysing, there. Tell me what she did wrong."

Flicker back, focusing on Nikki. After a moment, I say, "When she was attacking, she wasn't really giving you trouble, you could index off each of her moves and slip it by rote. But she wasn't giving you any easy open gaps, either. When Aunghadhail got grumpy and came front, she blanked. That cut was unplanned and underpowered. From your perspective, wide open." I need a cache like his. Let's create one and start loading his moves and counters into it as we go.

"How did he block Malachim's Feather, then?" It's Aung, still frustrated about her unstoppable sword being so easily stopped.

"He came inside it and didn't let the edge touch his arm. But honestly, I'd bet he could have done a dozen things. Including just moved back from the cut and closed in after it, if the weapon was something he couldn't risk touching at all. Point being, you had very little intention, control, or flow in that one moment."

"...is the right answer." Dyffud grins. Looking to Nikki and Chou, "Both of you two have an extra bit of trouble with your abilities, since Chou has the Handmaid stuff and Nikki has Aunghadhail. The transition time between one and the other makes you pause briefly in combat as neither of you is truly connected to your Truth. That pause is a huge opportunity for an attacker. Jules, from what Amanda Tolman tells me, yours is more complicated. You are still integrating your changed, non-human self. In a fight, your analysis meets your human habits of thought that don't handle multiplicity well, and you stall out and underperform. In all of your cases, because you're in various ways sharing a body, you sometimes struggle with who is driving. That problem keeps you from moving from your truth."

Chou says, "Wait, you are saying that if we come to terms with these things, we will be stronger than we already are?"

He nods.

Nikki meanwhile sounds worried. "But if I do this won’t Aunghadhail be absorbed into me?"

He doesn't look too worried. "I see no reason why that would happen. Basically, you need to work with the transition, make it smoother and less likely to have you paused in your actions. It makes you stutter in your movement and disrupts your chi for a short while afterward. A clever opponent will strike at that exact moment and take advantage."

"So what you are saying is that if we come up with a better time sharing process between drivers we should be able to avoid that opening?", asks Nikki.

He shakes his head. "Look. What you need to do is realize that this is who you are and stop trying to compartmentalize things. You are both of these things. Fey, you are both Nikki Reilly and Aunghadhail. Chou Lee, you are both Alexander Farshine and The Handmaid of the Tao. Jules, you are your memories of your human self, and your newly added inhuman depths. So you share your life with some other thing, big deal. Does that fact make you any less you? Is either part any more or less true than the others? When you get a handle on who you really are this problem will disappear."

Chou pauses for a moment, clearly turning the idea over in her head, before asking "How?"

Dyffud grins wider. "You need to realize that there is not a Chou box and an Alex box and a Handmaid box, or a Nikki box and an Aunghadhail box. Or Jules, a human box and a great old one box. There is only one box, you. Alex is still you, despite you now being a girl. The Handmaid is still you, despite everything. And Nikki, Aunghadhail is your past and to a degree, your future, but you are still Nikki Reilly when all is said and done. Without merging these things, you will leave openings that a good fighter will be able to exploit. I want to help you all fix these holes."

While those two are thinking about it, he goes and grabs a thick meditation mat for each of us from a stack, and hands them out, indicating the floor. "Let's meditate."

Upside of this body, I can actually do lotus without giving myself a sprained hip or a numb leg. "What I want you to do during this meditation is to picture your self, all parts of it. They will not be in a cohesive whole and that is alright at this stage of things. During the meditation, I want you to try to bring them together into one. It isn't all that easy and you will have to figure out some of the various interconnections in the process that are causing you some issues. Once you can figure those out you might be able to get past this and integrate fairly easily. Shall we?"

We nod, he dings one of those Tibetan bells that seem to be the done thing for meditation, and off we go.

Alright. Still, center, I perceive my thoughts arising but I am not my thoughts. My attention rests. Allow myself to experience myself. My minds. The lesson going on over the other side, and the feelings of happiness that come from being with Sara and Paige and having fun with fancy anti-exemplar locks. The two me in Gothmog's place, sleeping off the day's shocks all wrapped up in each other. Big me, beneath, quietly radiating love. Sara, through the mark. Through Sara, dimly felt, others. And stretching in a different direction, I include my various bodies, pregnant and not. Going down deep, like I did with Paige, I find my bodies have their own memories and minds. Some levels regret the changes I've gone through. Others revel in them.

If all of my parts are one, what would it mean? Big me slides forwards and we share the hypothetical. When we're together, we can see the bits that stick and grind. But we resist the temptation just just scribble over them, instead we cherish and unwind them. They are knots of fear, of hanging-onto-habit based in seeking comfort from the familiar, so we comfort them. We understand that our larger self does not belong too deeply enmeshed in this universe, but we can blend and flow with its potential.

The bell dings again. End of meditation. Big me slides back down, but more connected than before, more a part of a fluid self. I'm changed, again, I think.

Dyffud can see it too. I can tell from the way he looks at me. But he doesn't bother the others with it, as we all help pack away.


	58. Part 58

# # Part fifty eight

"Your eyes just got brighter, you know?" Sara sounds curious. We're currently playing with getting fiendishly complicated devisor locks open.

Paige takes a look and nods, "Yeah, they aren't the full on, shadow casting headlights you get when big you is up front, but they're brighter than they were. What're you up to over on the other side?"

So I tell them about Dyffud's interesting lesson. Sara takes a peek inside my head at my new arrangements and teases, "he doesn't know what kind of a monster he's created", and I snicker.

"Miss Parallel! Yes you, since you're having such a great time, why don't you come up here and join me at the front." Oopsie.

I stand and come up front, where Mr Robertson is honestly looking amused rather than annoyed. I figure he just needed a "volunteer".

"So, kid, you're the warper type. Here, I've got some fancy cuffs the Knights of Purity use. OMAG, go put them on her. Try to get out of them using powers."

OMAG is a big, grumpy wanna be soldier type with a Scottish accent. He doesn't like me, because we both can duplicate bodies but he tops out far lower than me and has to run it all with one mind. Which explains his sadistic smirk that would look great on an actual anti-mutant crusader. He's happy to put his YouTube trained "army skills" to use manhandling me, grabbing my hands behind my back and locking me into the cuffs with sadistic amounts of force. Which of course does exactly nothing to me, because I'm ex-4 and he's barely more than a baseline with a trick. Of course I ham it up, going "ow, ow that hurts" and pitifully squirming, which gets him to evil-snicker, and then disappoint him as soon as he's done by being clearly fine. I'd lay odds that any army that would accept this guy is going to belong to a state with "democratic" in its name, that isn't. Ass.

Okay, lets see what these thingies can do. He said powers, so I try bending myself over to the other side of the classroom. Huh, interesting, they followed. Fold space for a short range teleport... I keep an eye on them with gravity sense and lo and behold, they warp right along with me. "Clever trick", I say. OMAG is snickering. So I tease him by duplicating myself and vanishing the original (which he can't do), and the cuffs drop to the floor with a "thunk". And promptly flash very brightly, making everyone in the class wince and hide their eyes.

"Good work", Mr Robertson says. "They didn't design around that one trick, but you'll notice that a lot of these things have a booby-trap that goes off if they realise you've escaped. It can be anything, a bomb, sonic stunner, gas, marker liquid. In this case, just a flashbulb. Best be careful where you drop them. If you couldn't use body duplication, how would you get out?"

"Pick the lock with a tentacle", I say. "I could cut them, but not without irradiating the room. I could contrive to cut or blow my hands off and then regenerate them, although I prefer not to and it would leave me useless in a fight for short while. If I can't afford to break out, bide my time until the captors slip." I'm thinking, when my saber's done, I may have another option there. And of course, there's always picking them apart by atoms, but I'd rather keep that one a little quiet.

He nods. "The advanced ones usually have unpickable locks, because the keys have computer chips in 'em. Stealing a genuine key is an option you left off. The other approaches are good. Remember kids, waiting for a better chance later is an option you need to have on your list."

He waves me back towards my desk as he continues, "Now, this not being Hollywood, nobody's going to fall asleep next to your barred cell with a jingle-jangle ring of keys clipped to their belt for you to hook off. Let's look at where they keep the keys." He turns on the projector and shows a slide up on the board. "This here is a typical high-security mutant prisoner transport van. They won't normally unlock you in one of these, and the guards don't carry keys, but they do have some ready in a locked safe in case you have a heart attack or something. Usually it's here."

I sit down at my place and watch with interest. This could be useful, given the annoying way my life tends to go.

Over on the other side, with the lesson done, I don't have anything to do, but I'm already feeling antsy from the lockdown - especially since I know it's going to be lifted, they just haven't done it yet. I really want to just run and play in the woods. But I'm not going to make any enemies by doing it before they let us. What I *can* do, though, is stand outside, in one of the open air tunnels of temporary bulletproof screens between the buildings, and look up at the stars as they start to come out. They've become something of a mascot of my changes, to me. I can see so many more now, even when they aren't all out. And in far greater colour depth. Although some of the colour ranges are muted, but that's probably the atmosphere eating the high frequency stuff. I wonder if I'll ever be able to go outside of atmosphere and see them raw? I think perhaps I could create and destroy stuff to handle gas exchange, but what about pressure? Going to the bathroom via matter destruction is something else I'd have to figure out too. I neither want to create a vacuum implosion inside my innards, nor a gas bubble. Fussy, fussy.

"Hi, nice evening, not worried about shooters?" My attention is dragged back to the here-and-now, it's Dyffud, he must have headed out the same way I did. His calm presence didn't ding my attention on life sense. Interesting.

I shake my head. "I was already told the matter's resolved, so all this is just residual. Thank you for your lesson. I believe I learned a lot."

"I saw", he says. "Your chi did some interesting things. I believe you learned a lot more than you got a chance to show."

I get the feeling he'll understand. "I find it frustrating, physical lessons, normally. The data density is so low. I learn one move... now I've got to learn hundreds more before I can string patterns together. I might get it in one go, but I have to keep up with the rest of the class who want to do the same thing for a whole lesson. Watching you... I was close to learning at a comfortable speed."

He laughs. "Most people, they get hit in the face by a firehose and beg to turn it down."

"I read a whole library in an evening, a week ago", I say. "Not bragging, just a benchmark. I've got faster since. I can turn off my frustration, but anything at one-to-one speed feels painfully slow to me."

"You want lessons, don't you?"

"Desperately", I admit. "Even if it's just watching. But the ideal would be personal lessons, just us. I feel like I could actually learn at close to a natural speed. And I feel you could adjust and handle that."

He looks curious. "I could adjust, hmm?"

"Most teachers here, they're expecting me to be human, and I'm not. I'm not even just a speedster or an exemplar. This one physical body can't come close to saturating my attention bandwidth. I think now, I couldn't saturate it with a thousand. I learn immediately, on the first pass, and permanently. Often before they've finished their sentence. I get the feeling it bothers them."

He says, "Don't be too harsh on Amanda, she runs her class the way she does for a reason."

"Oh, I know it," I say, "I remember being human. Being a slow-ass, unfit, uncoordinated, rubbish memory human, in fact. I understand wanting to bring the whole group up to a standard, however gradually that has to be done. It's just frustrating because I feel I might need this stuff. You know I've been in fights already?"

He nods. "I heard. We've discussed your recent fight, us martial arts teachers. Consensus was that you knew you couldn't fight with any skill, and made the best of it."

"Where best means dying repeatedly, yeah." I sigh. "If in future, I could make a fight like that end without having personal experience of what my intestines look like, that would be nice."

"Ending the fight was your goal, then?"

"Protecting Erin, getting her found by security, was my primary goal. Secondary, getting a chance to free two people of compulsion in a context where conveniently knocking them out wasn't assault. So I was stalling for time initially, but yeah, I wanted the fight to stop. Stalling by talking is a lot less traumatic."

"And getting revenge on them? Anger?"

"I was angry for what they did to Erin. But it didn't come into the fight. Hurting them back would just have made more victims. That feels senseless, to me. None of them would have learned from it."

He nods. "Despite that, you did put quite a bit of trauma on them. Particularly miss Summers."

"I've decided since, I regret that", I say. "At the time, it felt justified, to overwhelm them and win. Now, I feel it was it the same category of unjustified excess as flooding them with tentacles would have been. They aren't absolute enemies, like the things they call 'voodoo wolves' here. They're kids, with bad attitudes."

"That's a good lesson to have learned, and it's good you learned it without a lot more collateral damage", he agrees. "Alright. I'm going to schedule in training for you. Probably separate from Chou, she needs different things."

My "Yay!" and happy bouncing makes him laugh.

Over the other side, a background thread I had set chewing on ideas pops up, and I look at what it has to show me. Oh, interesting design! I show Sara through the mark.

She's not techie, so it takes her a moment to parse it out. "Oh I see, so this would let us have group chats, like the Kimbas do, but for lots of different groups?"

"Broadcast in a group, or just direct to a particular person", I agree. "Anyone could bring anyone onto the mesh and pull them into existing groups, or make new groups. I could make a group for the Kimbas, so they wouldn't need their gadgets. We could have separate pack and polycule groups so we don't bother Gypsy with lovey-dovey stuff."

"And soul level interconnects means it would be impossible to snoop except perhaps for one of us."

"And tamper evident if they did. Plus that should mean people can stay on mesh and communicate if they're unconscious, and if they die, we can lifeboat them, because we have a link to their soul."

"Which solves our Jamie problem", she agrees. "Interesting. It'll be a new spell, which will mean a lot of research. You can do some Gothmog-side, I'll do some, we compare notes. You realise that if you give this to the Kimbas, Ayla is gonna give it to his business contacts, they're gonna give it to their partners... it'll spread. It could end up as ubiquitous as email."

"Make all the humans telepathic, and tele-empathic, without breaking down their boundaries. Cut the nosies out of the loop. Teach them that souls are real and death is temporary, in the most practical way." I'm grinning. "Sounds like a project."

She snickers, but then gets thoughtful. "Downside is, villains will love it. Truly private chats."

"Upside, victims will love it", I counter. "They can be yacking away with their families telling them where they're at and what the villain's plans are, and nobody can snoop or prevent it."

"Fair point", she agrees. "We could have used that with Erin. Okay, let's get started on that this evening?"

I nod. "And I can probably work on it in dream-time too."


	59. Part 59

# # Part fifty nine

As fifth period is ending, there's an announcement over the tannoy, mandatory assembly after sixth period. From the chatter that creates, a lot of people are speculating the same way as I am, they caught the sniper, they're lifting the lockdown. Could be something else, but that seems the way to bet. Two more simultaneous classes, and then school work is over for me until Monday. I'm really looking forward to the pressure being off, and I wish they hadn't tacked this on. Hopefully it's short.

Crypto with Paige, I'm looking forward to. She's so in her element there, and it's always a fun, informative class. Demon banishing with the rev, not so much. If he gives me grief tonight, I may snap at him. As Sara, Paige and I walk over, Sara gives me head-scritches with a tentacle. And Paige hugs me. Damn, I love these two. Which I tell them, and pull them both into a three-way hug.

Me who was in Dyffud's class, is back in Poe, keeping a track of my emails, and just tinkering around on this world's internet, which is different a few ways from the internet of the world I left behind. Different big names. Somewhat more advanced tech. An email comes in from Caitlin, she's cleared a slot on Saturday morning for testing my lightsaber. Good, I could use having that available. If we test it on the range, maybe we can test out some other ideas I have. I want to turn my mostly useless refractive shield power into a thing to be reckoned with, because I have gravity sense now - I literally learned it later that same day, but I was a mite busy with aliens at the time. Now, though, I have practise and speed, I think I could track individual munitions coming in. And slap a teeny tiny shield in their way. Or maybe a small g-well to drag them to a halt, Matrix style? It should be fun to find out how well that all works. I bet I'm not the first, either. Means she'll know if that's a good idea or not.

Crypto class today picks up on the public discovery of differential cryptanalysis, and the at first tantalizing but unproven suggestion that the NSA and IBM knew of it ahead of time, because of the unexpected strength of the S-boxes in the DES cipher. Then Mr Bornstein starts walking us through how to apply it to a toy cipher.

Over on the other side, the room in Kirby Hall fills up slowly, I take my usual place, and Englund makes his way in, bringing a hush as he heads to the front. He waits for quiet then says, "Today we are going to cover cryptids. Does anyone know what a cryptid is?" I decide to keep my hand down and just ride this class out, but others put theirs up and he picks someone who says "Uh, like Bigfoot and stuff, you know?". Picks someone else, "It's monsters, isn't it? And urban legends."

"These are correct answers, but limited ones", he continues. "Cryptids as a group are creatures, animals and humanoids, which are not yet discovered as factual by mainstream science. The concept shades into made up urban legends at one end, and undiscovered but entirely natural animals at the other. However, tonight we will be focusing on the middle of the range. Creatures which combine seeming physicality, with decidedly nonphysical capabilities such as vanishing into thin air, and which are associated with reality distortion effects such as draining batteries and causing glitches in digital electronics. Bigfoot is a good example here. Present mainstream science, when it looks at the topic at all, ascribes these to mutant-like abilities arising in a natural species, allowing it to hide in plain sight. From experience, I've come to a different conclusion. I believe them to be primarily spirits, and in some cases, demons. That theory is what we're going to examine in this lesson."

I guess this time around, he's decided to get on with teaching and not come after me, except perhaps very indirectly. I can live with that, and the topic is interesting, so I settle in to listen. Back where I came from, there were similar discussions about Bigfoot, I used to follow the subject. This world with its magic might be better equipped to make sense of the whole strange business.

Come to think of it, that's dangerous. My interest reading them over there might bite me over here, what if this world didn't have a Mothman, or something? I'm at risk of handing out clues to my cross-world origins by knowing a lot about something that never happened, or missing something important that did. Hurriedly, over in Poe I pull up Wikipedia (which thankfully does exist here) and get to researching. A lot of the articles are shorter and cruder than i recall - but then it hits me, they're over a decade younger than the ones I recall. Even with tech being better over here, the site still began in 2001. Heh, maybe I can start contributing stuff to it? A project for later.

The rev is talking about the way that high strangeness follows cryptids - and UFOs. He acknowledges extraterrestrial aliens are real, people he knows have met them, but he doesn't think UFOs are aliens, for the most part. He believes they ought to be bundled in with spirits, same as many cryptids. I'd say he has a good point there, even if he does tend to assume everything is evil and demonic in nature.

"It's a misconception", he says, "to assume that all spirits are intangible. That is their basic nature, true. But cultures down the ages have described physical encounters with spirit beings. How is that possible? Sometimes, they are creating illusions in the minds of the witnesses. Sometimes, they have made a body from substances found nearby, which will collapse back into a heap of random detritus when they die or depart. Sometimes they inhabit dead human bodies, or possess living ones. And sometimes, they impose physical form onto the world more directly. Creating something tangible enough to leave tracks, and yet intangible enough to have those tracks just stop and disappear with no sign where the creature went."

Getting a little close to describing me or Sara, which may be his game here, although I might be being a bit paranoid given I know he *is* out to get me. Sometimes a Sasquatch is just a Sasquatch.

Or sometimes it's a bit more, it seems. He's describing his own encounter. "This happened to me some years ago. A friend had prevailed on me to help him investigate the Bigfoot. I didn't believe any such thing as an undiscovered natural ape in North America could exist, but accompanied him on account of friendship and because it promised to be a quietly enjoyable camping trip. We took mules up a steep trail to a spot he told me he'd heard them before, reaching a level clearing which he'd clearly used as a camp with friends on previous occasions - there was a fire pit, logs to sit on, a wooden bear shelter, cleared spots to put up our tents. Which we did, and cooked over the fire, and he played with his banjo and I sung hymns. He told me that the creatures like music. It started to turn to dusk."

"So the first strange thing that happened was a sudden and almighty silence. All the forest creatures you just tune out, birds, frogs, crickets, just stopped. Now this wasn't my first run-in with the powers of darkness, and I've seen this effect before, so I pulled my cross off my belt and made ready to drive Satan back. Second thing, was a light where no light had a business being, in the forested valley below. I wouldn't call it a UFO, because it wasn't higher off the ground than a man could hold a lantern, but it glowed with an orange colour and wove through the trees, lighting much less distance than it ought. And just went out as silently and suddenly as it had lit."

He pauses and grins. "Next up, there was a banging, uphill from us, sounded like somebody was hitting a tree with a whole log. Thwack, thwack, thwack. And loud jabbering and shrieks. My friend, he was panicking. He said, 'I've annoyed them, bringing you', and he wanted to retreat to the bear shelter, which was an arrangement of heavy logs tied like a teepee, and you could move one aside and squeeze in, then put the rope around it from inside to hold it secure. So we did that, since I didn't want to abandon him to his fears. And these heavy footsteps came crashing into camp. Now at this point, darkness had fallen, and we never saw them, but we smelled a foul sulphur stink. There was a smashing and a breaking around camp, and our mules screamed, and then our shelter was rocked by a great blow. And then shoved upon, but it couldn't be made to teeter over, and I was shoving from the other side to keep it upright."

He pauses and looks at us. "Now I suppose I've got you all half convinced that we were being besieged by the hairy man-apes of legend. But step back a moment. Look at what's happened. Silence where noise was expected. Lights. Screams and incoherent vocalizations. Knocks on wood and heavy blows on structures. The sounds of footsteps. Sulfurous smells. Things being overturned and broken. Animals panicking." He nods as people start to get it. "If the same happened in a house, we'd call it a haunting. And indeed what happened next gives weight to that."

"I held up my cross and called upon the power of God that he permits to flow through me, to vanquish and banish them. If we were facing natural apes, that wouldn't do a thing, save perhaps God might turn their attention away, but what happened was quite the opposite. Silence fell as suddenly as it had before. No banging, no crashing, no footsteps. Then after a breath, the forest noises resumed. For my friend's sake, I stayed with him in that cramped shelter until dawn lit the sky, and then when we came out, we found much less ruin than we anticipated, things were scattered but not smashed, there were what looked like footprints, but indistinct and smeared. Nothing you could take a cast of. Our mules, alas, were gone. Now, I won't bore you with our trek home. Instead I'll ask you to think about what I encountered, and how it stands up to scrutiny as an encounter with spirits. And ask you to consider, how would you banish those spirits?"

I hadn't expected to be intrigued, but the rev is a skilled tale spinner, and he makes a well argued point. The rest of the lesson is interesting too, covering various traditional and magical ways of breaking the power of spirits. I think it's deliberate that he doesn't press further on religion as a means - he's already told a story to advertise that approach!

As the lesson comes to a close, I realise I don't entirely buy his take on those events. I don't suspect him of untruthfulness, he doesn't seem the sort to lie. But from what I've come to suspect about him, something - something unfriendly, that wants cruelty in the name of goodness - has got its claws in him. Was it truly the power of God that banished those Sasquatch? Or were there not one, but two eldritch powers up the hill that night, and only one of them outside the shelter?

An interesting, if dark, thought to end a week's lessons.


	60. Part 60

# # Part sixty

As we walk toward Crystal Hall from crypto class, Paige snuggles against me. "Hey, I can see you're tired. Not long now."

I nod. "This, and then detention and work. It's just been a day, you know? And a week, really."

"Yeah, I've had ones like that."

"Let's hope we can draw a line under yours, at least", I say, knowing that's rather up in the air with this sniper business.

"Let's hope", she agrees.

I grab my usual spot at the Pack table, and with other me coming in from Englund's class, head over to my usual Kimba table place too. The room is filling up, a scene made somewhat surreal by the closed cafeteria and absence of food. And by Billie's stomach, cued by the location, making grumble noises. Do I still have the thing? Aha, I do! One rather Class-X exposed, squashed but edible pasty. She looks at it, laughs, thanks me and takes it. And evidently likes it. "Not sure where it got that flavour, but this is better than the ones I've got from the machine." So I'm partway through explaining the pasty's travels (accompanied by "you did what?!" from Toni and worried tooth sucking from Nikki) when the head comes in and we all have to hush.

Mrs Carson takes her time, glaring at pockets of murmur until they subside. "Yesterday evening, we had to lock down the school due to a report of snipers trying to kill a student here, and thankfully failing. I can inform you all, and will be informing your parents, that the individuals concerned have been caught and are in custody. So as a result, I will be lifting movement restrictions, effective immediately."

I notice she didn't say whose custody. She takes a moment to wait out the cheering. "Unfortunately there's another side to this matter. We're currently in a bit of a tense stand-off with the MCO and the CIA. Until discussions are resolved to our satisfaction, members of these organizations are persona non grata here. We will not be cooperating with them in any matters, and they will not be permitted on school grounds. This includes the usual recruiters and liaisons, unfortunately for some of you, it will also involve family members and friends. Please rest assured this is temporary. We are simply standing by our principles that children are not to be shot at, and the school's neutrality must be respected. We believe, soon enough, cooler heads will prevail. Still, on a temporary basis, I'm afraid security may be a bit cautious and inclined to jump at shadows. Please follow all their instructions. They are there to protect you."

Tense stand off she says, something close to a cold war, is how I'd translate that. I can see Billie's taking it hard, her folks are CIA, so I give her a hug. Paige too, looks caught between grateful and overwhelmed, that the school is willing to stand up for her like this. She gets a hug too.

The Head takes a deep breath, and looks like she steeling herself. "One more thing. Miss Parallel, please stand up."

Me? Oh shit, she's not gonna... well, she'll do what she'll do, and there's nothing I can do about it at this point, so I had better just take it. I stand both of me up.

The Head continues, "There will be an important interview on WARS tomorrow morning, concerning the events of Monday evening, which many of you have already correctly surmised were connected to Miss Parallel. It concerns you all, and this school, it also concerns the world. I personally believe after consideration, that what happened was necessary and good. But it will require some adjustment by all of us. Everyone please tune in to Zenith's show, tomorrow morning. Miss Parallel, you may sit down."

Well. I guess I just got famous. Sitting back down doesn't substantially reduce the number of eyes on me. Upside, she's backing me. Downside, yikes. I take deep breaths, it helps some.

The Head finishes up, "After this assembly, you may resume normal activities. Security will be clearing the protective barriers, please help them by not being underfoot. That will be all."

As everyone stands up, a group of kids comes over, but looks confused by my presence on both tables. Picking Kimba me as the nearest, the leader, an Arabic looking guy says, "Good evening Miss Parallel, I'm Saladin, This group with me are some of the Future Superheroes of America, who are sometimes called the Cape Squad. We have been asked by the Headmistress to help escort you out, to avoid any trouble."

I nod. "Sure, no problem."

Me with the Pack explains what's up to Sara and Paige, and then I decide to vanish that body, leaving the capes with only one me to escort. Which startles them a little.

Saladin continues, "The Head has also asked me to pass forward the news that your detention has been cancelled. And so you may go directly to your job."

That has me a little surprised, but then, I got detention for the thing she is currently actively on side with, so, I guess she's being consistent.

"Thank you, it's appreciated", I say, "I normally teleport around though. I'd normally jump straight to Poe to get my dirty kit."

"Just out of the Hall, then", he says, "Appearances are important."

I nod understanding. "I'm glad the Head is backing me, but that was terrifying."

It seems Saladin's the only one of the group tasked with talking, the others are in attentive bodyguard-like postures. He says, "Yes, I imagine so. It must not be a simple thing, if it cannot be explained here?"

"Not simple to explain, and not simple to accept", I agree. "I think she's going with my radio announcement plan, at least partly because it means people will have time to get their tempers down before confronting me in person."

He nods thoughtfully. "Do you mind if I ask for a little preview of what is to be announced?"

I chuckle. "Okay. So basically, Monday night I turned from human to very inhuman, and part of that was my choice to insert new rules in the metaphysics of the universe. Those rules will benefit all life, everywhere, but they also apply to humans. The effects are delayed by the inertia of the status quo, but being near me makes them happen faster. That's the essence of it."

"And so, affects the school and especially your classmates", he says, quick study. "It puts my own problems in perspective. So being around you will force the pace of these changes, but even if you were sent away, they would happen regardless?"

I nod. "At an unknown rate. We won't know how fast things are moving, out there in the world, until the sociological indicators start to move."

"And these are positive changes?"

"I say they are. The Head seems to concur. But they will be big changes. They will affect people very personally. For example, they will make it harder to be a bigot. People who already think that way will be upset by their struggle to hang on to it. They will have to re-evaluate themselves. I expect some of them will blame me."

Did I just get stink eye from one of my 'bodyguards', a black guy? Saladin looks thoughtful. "You may be my benefactor, even though you don't know it. Well, we had better be leaving. I am sure I shall hear the details tomorrow with the rest."

I nod, and thank him, and we head out. In the end, they insist on walking me all the way to Poe. We go overground, because I want to feel the wind. No more tunnels for a bit, I think, at least until I get tired of the cold. Which maybe I won't, it isn't much effort to adjust my heat generation up.

In the end I get to go in the front door at Poe - the unfamiliarity of the view reminds me how often I just blip in and out of here. Perhaps I should walk more, it lets me meet people. People like Zenith, who's waiting for me and looking like a grumpy storm cloud. "You, my room, six god-damn aye em. We are going to rehearse this spontaneous interview until it hurts. No surprises on air."

"Yes, ma'am", I say, playfully saluting her and doing the 'at attention' soldier pose. She just shakes her head and retreats upstairs, muttering about how the Head must be crazy.

People like the Kimbas, too, who are waiting for me. Jade looking bouncy, Billie subdued, Nikki worried and Toni determined. Ayla and Chou are just kind of hanging back and looking thoughtful. The group of them end up herding me into Ayla's room, and I have to tell again, what I did, bringing the Head and the dragon off planet to Gothmog's place, and then getting our party crashed by great-grandma herself. And gaining the ability to summon her for casual chats.

It seems there's a consensus of "don't do that in the dorm, please". Which I can understand. Great-grandma is unsettling at best. Still, I think it was the fact the food had been near her that made Billie like it. She has her own resonance aura, I don't doubt, and it's nowhere near as gentle and restrained as mine. Makes me wonder what it did to all of us, there, being so close to her.

Ayla points out that the Head's endorsement changes things, as far as tomorrow's announcement goes. Instead of being a blink and you'll miss it radio broadcast, it'll be heard by damn near every kid and member of staff here, and the fact the Head stands behind it will get out to parents and snoops. It'll definitely reach the Goodkinds, they have their fingers in enough pies. He feels they won't like it one bit.

"So what will they likely do about it?" I ask.

"I don't know", he admits. "They aren't stupid and crude, they won't send a sniper like whoever has the Head riled up. You don't have any significant financial infrastructure, or they'd go after that. They might target the school for harbouring you. Not that that would be easy or they'd have done it already. They might weigh in to this stupid war with the MCO and CIA. What is with that anyway? I got the feeling you knew."

I nod. "They shot at Paige. Almost certainly a CIA shooter, for reasons that are easy deduction if you know her secrets. And I'm guessing the MCO was behind it. The original target was probably me. Paige was a target of opportunity, and they missed, thank goodness."

"So what, the CIA wants her dead? Enough for one of their shooters to blow off a sniper mission that wasn't even aimed at her?" Ayla sounds a bit disbelieving.

I nod. "Dead, caged, or zombified. Her secrets are hers, but they have reason, in a twisted way. I won't let them do it though. If they snipe her again and don't miss, me and Sara should be able to lifeboat her across to a backup body."

Wait, what?" - Toni, incredulous. "A backup body like what? Like you're growing a clone in a jar?"

So I make a Paige-body and say "Faster than that, but that's the general idea, nya."

"Ohmyholyfuck, Jules, that is you in there, isn't it?"

"Yah, I'll move aside and we move her soul in, simple." Being furry is strange, but enjoyable. Still, I feel like I'm borrowing what's not mine, so I vanish that body again.

Everyone is looking a bit grey. "Simple, she says", Toni sounds strained. "Can you just copy us, too?"

I shake my head. "Not without a snapshot, which you have to consent to. And Sara and I don't have links to your souls to throw you a lifeline, either. Some of you, I doubt we could link. Billie and Jade, you're probably out. Chou, I'm unsure of."

"Why not me?", asks Jade.

"Already linked to Billie and she has first call on you. But Billie, you might be able to do it for Jade. We'd have to go over it with you, it involves soul level work."

She looks thoughtful, the idea of helping Jade obviously one that appeals. "I'll think about it." And Jade grins and hugs her. "Yay oneesan!"


	61. Part 61

# # Part sixty one

Jade and I have to set the discussion aside, and get ready for our job. I decide to wear my sweats this time, it seems better than uniform or casual kit. Jade follows me into my room, and is amused to watch how quickly I can do a change with teleport-and-tentacles. I guess, with the J-team, she's closest to knowing how it goes.

Then we have to get to the job. Chatting has wasted a bit of time, we'll have to dash. Or teleport, but I've only ever taken myself before. It feels like I can do it. Big me concurs. Does Jade want to risk being a first time? She does. And so I fold space together with her, hand in hand, and we step out in front of the entrance to the maintenance area. Life sense shows her as completely unharmed. Good.

That one jump means we're nicely on time. Stan and Morrie are both at the top of the basement staircase. Morrie says, "Hey kiddies. Nice timing. Nice to see ya got off detention tonight too, Jules, whaddya do, slip the Head a bribe?"

"Took the Head to meet a demon, told her my secret plan to take over the world", I tease back, making Jade snicker because it's almost true. "What kind of class-X nightmares are we fighting today?"

"We ain't due to do the cave until mid-March", Morrie says with a smirk. Jade winces. Me, honestly I'm a bit eager. Which gets noticed. Stan says, "Check out her, bouncing as if you offer her ice cream. Looking to meet the relatives?"

"Already met them", I say. "I kind of wonder how your famous cave compares. For all I know, it might suit me." I tease by letting big me come forward and make my eyes glow bright. She looks curiously at them, and says they're interestingly resistant.

"Yeah, yeah, little miss spooky", Morrie isn't too impressed, although he does grin. Giggling, big me slips back down and my eyes go back to normal. He continues, "To answer your question, tonight we're helping wheel those sniper barriers back in the shed. Although with all the... stuff you've been up to here, it might be a good idea to check the cave a month or two early, in case you woke something up. But not without proper preparation. Perhaps tomorrow, eh?"

"Hey, don't we get weekends off?" I protest.

"Normally, yeah", Morrie says. "But sometimes, special stuff, it needs time, or it needs daylight. The cave is both of those. You get time and a half just for working at the weekend, on top of danger pay. But don't worry kiddies, I'll give you more than just a night's warning. That way, you get time to make your wills, heh."

"Ass!" says jade, and play-punches him.

We make short work of today's task, with Jade casting the J-team into the barriers and me making spare bodies to drag them, it doesn't take long to do our assigned area, and move on to do others. Meantime I get to chat to Jade, which is nice, I feel I haven't been able to get much time with her, she's not in my classes except the devisor thing, and I've been in detention when she was working. I'm saving my lightsaber to show off when I can properly power it on, but I do talk about how I can make electronics and stuff with matter creation, and maybe I can collaborate with Bunny making gadgets for her, which she's on side with.

She sighs, looking glum at a thought. I ask what's up, she says "I was thinking about you being helpful, and then about what you're doing for Paige. You could snapshot me, but I'd still be in this messed up body, right? So maybe you shouldn't. I wouldn't want to come back to that."

"Silly", I say. "We'll break Jet's curse, then you can spend a week in a bathtub absorbing her memories, and then your body will never be an issue again. But you have to be here for that to work."

"Point", she concedes. "It just feels like it's completely impossible. The rules mean I'd have to succeed first... I doubt the BIT-slicer would count either. It has to be me. But how?"

"I had a thought", I say. "It only solves part of it, but..."

"Spit it out, how?"

"That cave, did Toni and Nikki tell you about it? The one with the time loop."

"Um, I think... They met their future selves or something?"

I nod. "It's not so super friendly, but maybe I can tame it down. Or cut a deal if it's too powerful for that. And then we could meet future you - *after* you were cured. After you were old enough that being pregnant wouldn't be an issue."

She looks intrigued. "That kinda works. Jet's side is still a problem. She can't grow, um, boy bits."

"Has to be her gametes and her doing it, but I think a prosthetic might slip through the terms. I can do any tinkering with cells we need."

"Um, you mean, like, a strap-on?" She blushes.

"Or something like it", I nod. "Might as well make it fun for your future self."

She goes bright red, and says "Aargh, enough. But yeah, you've given me a bit of hope. And let's leave it at that, we've got more of these barriers to go back for."

I giggle. I'm not the only one lighting up the snow with my glow.

With all the barriers rolled and stowed away kinda quickly, we get to knock off early in the knowledge of a job well done. I decide to head for the library. Back when I was a child in my previous life, the library used to be my refuge. I could teleport over, but I decide to walk, taking in the quiet starlight, feeling like I could almost trail my fingers through it, as if it were water or something tangible. Something about the stars seems to have fallen in love with me, and I love them back. The feeling makes me want to dance, and so I do, spinning and twirling over the snow with ribbons and sheets of imaginary starlight.

It's when I get to the edge of the lights that surround the library, that I realise it isn't imaginary, I'm covered in streamers of starshine, evaporating off as I stop my dance, but still visible, making my grungy sweats into something strange and amazing. Something like this happened before, the other night. I wonder if I can shape it into more than sparkles and toys? A question for later, I'm too tired, really, to put effort into research tonight. But I do blow the stars a kiss of thanks as I head in through the door and aim myself for the fiction section. Nothing drearily worthy today, I mean to raid the brain-candy, SF and fantasy.

Turns out here it's called 'SF, fantasy and heroics'. Genre fiction became a thing after the first heroes, so unlike the classics, it's barely recognizable. Different authors. Different books. Star Trek and Star Wars are still there, but some of the characters seem a bit different. Hard SF got hit with a weird-hammer. Happily, Schmitz is still in this timeline, so I'm (re-)reading a Telzey Amberdon book (and not going anywhere near my full speed) when I notice someone else plomp down beside me in the reading niche - it's Sara. Immediately I feel all the grunge I've been ignoring. Ack. I look like I was hauling things around through the snow in my gym sweats and didn't bother to change.

Sara says, "Hey sweetie. Found you."

"Found me", I agree. "Sorry I look like the cat dragged me in. How'd you track me down?"

"Figured you'd come here. That and you were having happy fictional thoughts about a tricksy telepath." She scrunches up against me, pulls my head onto her shoulder. "And you look fine, silly. Everyone has down days."

I snuggle against her, closing the book. "It's just all caught up with me. And now the Head forced my timing on the interview. I just want a rest from the crazy, you know?"

"We'll put aside doing that magical research we were planning tonight", she says. "Have a relaxing evening and just let your dreams do their thing overnight. We can do the work later when you're feeling a bit better."

"I have an idea what you consider relaxing", I tease. "Sounds fun, but I might be a bit of a pillow princess today."

"That, your highness, will not be a problem." God I love her dirty smirk.

I put the book back on the shelf. "Come on, let's head back. I need to change and shower, and then it'll be dinner. We can go to Poe, and pick up your room there, to save you a walk."

She gives me a kiss and nods. She can probably sense that I kind of want the low intensity of Poe for a bit, although we're planning more intense things later. As we head out, I notice the librarian had her eye on us, from the central desk. I'm guessing, she chose not to intervene and hush us. That was kind, so she gets a smile of thanks, and the smile I get back confirms my suspicions. I guess everyone can see I'm a bit of a bedraggled thing tonight.

Although, I suppose, the stars seem to like me just the same. On impulse, I decide to show Sara. "Hey, watch a thing, it's strange but nifty, I want to see what you make of it."

She nods, "Sure", and so I begin. Look overhead to orient the star chart, list out names and analyse rhymes, construct a flow of meter, shape the melody and make it feel right for the stars I'm naming... I start to sing, and time my song into a a dance too, one with a hole in the choreography so she can join it if she wants - and she does, as soon as she sees what I've done. And the stars play with us both as we dance, garlanding her in splendid darkness and me in streamers of light. I've timed my song to finish as we reach Poe, so when we head in we're still otherworldly creatures, and get gaped at a bit. Which makes us both giggle.

Erin is in our room when I get there, and gets an unexpected but happy hug from Sara. Most of our star-stuff has evaporated off, but she still has a brow-crown of darkness, and me, one of light, which makes Erin curious too. So I tell the both of them how I've been playing with starlight twice already before, and I have no idea what it means, except that it's beautiful and fun.

Sara looks thoughtful. "Stars are a strange kind of thing. They're physical, you could go there and it would be a hot ball of fusing plasma, but they also have a higher extension that is a bit like us. They've always been our kind of thing. Starry wisdom, astrology, you know? And now you're singing to them in the old language, using their names with love and making them into melodies, and gifting them with dance. Two different kinds of form-in-time, as pure offerings of joy. They understand that. I think they've fallen a bit in love with you. I don't know what that means, though. Other than some very beautiful special effects. And adding to your growing legend." Which makes me and Erin giggle.

Erin says, "They were important to us, the stars, but they were never my domain." I can hear the subtle voice change, this isn't Erin speaking but her rider. She continues, "Of all of us, perhaps... Judicator, might offer guidance." I could hear the pause as she translated the name.

"Thank you, and it's nice to meet you", I say.

To which I get a smile, and she says, "I have watched you, but I am not one for stray words. But we meet by starlight, and that seems appropriate. I am enjoying watching your rise." A slight change of body language makes it clear Erin is back at the wheel. "She was waiting for the right chance. Bit of a show-off in her way... hey, quit poking", which makes us all giggle. "But, you know, that last word, we struggled over translating it, because the one she used meant 'rise up to the stars'. I think she sees big things ahead."

Which is nice, but I can't help thinking 'just what I need'.


	62. Part 62

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning for this episode: emotionally intense BDSM, pain, violence, blood.

# # Part sixty two

I need to get a shower done, so I grab a robe and vanish the icky sweats. Before I head off, Sara stops me and says, "When you get to the Hall tonight, eat lightly. Less than you want, less than you need. Then head to my room after. No other bodies over here, just that one. Put the two on the other side on pause, if you can." I nod. she's obviously up to something, but I'll just follow instructions. She smiles. "And don't worry. I'll bring munchies for later. But trust me when I say you don't want to be full for what I have planned." Okay miss mysterious.

Getting warm, soaked, clean and into fresh jeans and a nice pastel pink shirt helps restore a bit of my dignity. And following Sara's instructions, I just get myself a little serving, which I know is going to leave me with stomach grumbles in half an hour. This time I only sit with the Pack table, and watch the goings-on, the shoulder angel nonsense is still going on, and it's all a bit stupid and tense. It sort of washes past me in a haze of unimportance. My food, small as it is, tastes of nothing much. That's probably a bad sign, but I trust Sara and she has it in hand.

The walk back to the Lovecraft room passes in a blur. I can see the others are kind of wrapping around me, so that any shouty idiots can be pushed aside. There's a few people with their tempers riled, wanting to know about the radio show. They get ignored. We reach the room. The two other me are in bed and paused. I'm the only active body.

Once we're there, Sara sits me down on the bed and then speaks to the others. "What I'm about to do is going to be intense. It won't suit some of you. Jamie, it's not for you. Sif, not you either, it would be too close to the bone. Paige, I feel like, not this time. It's too early to poke you where you're sore." Paige nods, accepting that. "Jet, you're in if you want to be, I know you've seen worse. Erin, it's optional. I know you care for her, but you'll need to be strong. You'll want to rush to her aid, but that won't be the right thing to do. You have to sit on your hands and let me do what I'm doing, right the way through to the end. If you can agree to that, you can be in."

Erin considers that and nods. "I'll do it."

"Okay, everybody else out, I'm going to rotate the room." And so it's just Sara, Jet, Erin and me.

Sitting down beside me, Sara strokes my hair and says, "Jules, I want you to put yourself in my hands. This is going to be intense and hard. Will you trust me with your life and your soul?"

How else can I reply to that but, "Yes, always, forever."

Sara nods. "I want you to let me hold the reins on your teleporting, your warping, life sorcery, and making and vanishing bodies or other materials. Can you and big you agree to do that for the duration of the game?"

I'm not so stupid I can't recognise the start of a kink negotiation. But I already gave her my total trust. Bringing big me forward enough she can follow along, we say together "Yes, we agree." And I can feel, somehow, that my ability to control those abilities has been taken. I'm stuck here, one body, one place. All but defenseless. She's cutting down my options.

Sara says, "The game ends one of three ways. I end it when I decide it's over. You end it with a safeword. I can see you know about them, we'll be using the traffic lights, green for okay, yellow for back off and check in, red for stop immediately. Any other word than red doesn't stop the game." I nod my understanding of that. "And the third way it ends is any emergency, a fire, an attack... I don't expect anything like that, we're rotated so a teacher isn't going to poke their head in and complain about the noise, but if it happens, you'll get everything back and we deal with the problem together, okay?" I nod. "Good girl." The praise feels nice.

She turns to the others. "Okay, Erin, Jet, you sit over to the side. Grab a beanbag and watch. No talk, no commentary. If you have to interrupt someone, interrupt me, not Jules. All good?" Two nods. "And Jules, come stand in front of me." So I pop up off the bed and go do that. She takes a moment to look at me, and smiles. "You have too many clothes on. All off, now. And folded neatly, please."

Of course I reach for what has become a habit, teleportation, and I can't do it. Tentacles - they won't come. Oh yeah, life sorcery is blocked. Which leaves just hands and fingers, the old fashioned way. I can't believe how clumsy I've got at this with a few days of being able to do it with powers. My shirt gets stuck and I have to yank at it inelegantly. My bra clasp is a bother to fiddle with. The stupid jeans won't come off my legs until I realise that I have to take the shoes off first, I'm a mess. The clothes are a mess. I start folding them, and thankfully Sara's left me my parallel minds, so I can calculate the folds and get them fairly neat. But it takes a frustrating long while with no tentacles and Sara's got the 'do hurry up' look.

"That wasn't very impressive." Being looked down upon by her cuts me to the heart. She motions, "Well, hurry up, stand there, I want to look at you."

I stand, she looks. Of course she's seen all of me before, but this look goes deeper than the surface, it feels like my soul is naked. I find I'm actually looking down and blushing.

"Chin up, dear, look at me not the floor." It's hard. Looking at her is like looking at the sun, especially when she has such an intensity to her gaze, she's not just acting a role, this is her, too, this is one of her real sides, and she's enjoying it. Feeding off it. I find I want that. Want to give myself to her and be consumed.

"What are you looking at?", she asks.

"Um, at you, at Sara."

"Wrong. For the game, I'm your mistress. Say 'yes, mistress'."

I say it.

"Not like that, mean it."

"Yes, mistress!"

"Better. Eyes up, if I catch you looking at the floor again, I won't hold back. Now, what are you?"

"I'm Jules."

"Wrong answer! What are you?"

"Um a larval great old one, life affiliated..."

She cuts across, "Wrong! What are you?"

I've run out of answers and I'm panicking, "I don't know, I don't know!"

"Better. You don't know. For this game, you are nobody and nothing. Say 'yes mistress'."

"Yes, mistress", I say. Feeling empty. I don't know what I am.

"If you're good you might be my nobody and nothing. And I might give you a name. Do you want to be good?"

I really do, and I say so. She nods. "That's a good beginning. Good girls kneel when they're talking to their mistress." I drop straight to my knees. Looking up at her, she seems so big.

"Better. Now, I'm not just your mistress tonight, I'm your doctor. You've been carrying all these burdens and they've been crushing you down. But nobody and nothing doesn't have burdens. Still, even when you've let those go, there's something trapped inside you. What do we do if something's trapped?"

"Um, let it out?"

"Let it out, *mistress*. Don't forget again. Yes, that's right, we let it out. What do you think is trapped?"

It's on the tip of my tongue but I don't want to say it because that would mean pain. "I... I don't know, mistress." It's a lie and it's not, I'm not letting myself know.

But she has no such mercy. Bending over and holding my gaze with hers, she says, "Screams and tears, dear. They're trapped inside you, and we need to let them out." And I know, yes, it's going to mean pain, and she's going to like it. And somehow I want to give her that, even though I'm no masochist.

She puts a finger under my chin. "Doing okay, so far, sweetie?"

I nod, shuddering with emotions I can't name. "G... Green, mistress."

"My good girl. Up you get, and come over to the wall." I feel proud to be hers, and do as I'm told, as she grabs a couple of things from the bed. She continues, "I'm going to take three more things away from you. First up is knowing what's coming." She slips a blindfold over my eyes - and at the same time, closes down my gravity and life sense, suddenly I'm just alone in the dark. "The second is this" And a sort of long wide rubber coated stick thing goes between my teeth, pushing my mouth wide open, and gets strapped in behind. "Do you know what that does?"

It's a gag and I try to reply but it comes out as incoherent noise. She says, "People think these take away your ability to make noise, but they don't, they take away your humanity. Now you're a thing that can feel and moan, but not speak. If you need to safeword, dear, stamp your feet, or use the mark. But I won't let you pass any other words over the mark, you're not a person right now, speech isn't something you're allowed."

She presses me up against the stones of the wall, and lifts my arms, and I feel something click around my wrists - heavy and cold, they remind me of the exemplar cuffs we were playing with in escape class. Could I get out of them? In a hot second if I had tentacles. At present, no. "Third thing is your freedom of movement. Feel free to thrash against these, they've got a ten ton breaking force and I know that's outside your range. Still okay, dear? Nod for yes, stamp for no." I nod.

She comes close and wraps herself around me in a hug, her claw tips trailing against my belly, which suddenly feels soft and vulnerable, I start to feel fear. "My very good girl. Now I know all about you. I know you're a level four exemplar, means a little light thrashing isn't going to do a damn thing to you. And I know you're a level six regenerator, there's next to nothing I could do to you that will leave you with an injury that lasts longer than hours. I could cut your fingers off with garden shears and you'd be happily typing away at your laptop by morning." Which is terrifying because she absolutely could, and it would hurt so much, but it wouldn't even show an hour later. "Now, I don't think we have to go that far, but I am going to hurt you for serious, dear, because you need it, and because I'm going to enjoy it. Remember to stamp if it becomes too much, but I want you to try and take it, for me, can you do that?"

I nod. I'm so afraid. But I want to give myself to her. The fear is for her. I feel water running down my cheek.

"Good girl, we found some tears. Now, let's find those screams." She steps away from me, my skin misses feeling hers, misses knowing where she is. I know she's right there but she's so far away.

Suddenly, ten lines of ripping pain down the length of my back, she's left my enough life sense inside myself I can track the way her claws cut epidermis, dermis, subcutaneous fat, muscle, scratch deep gouges in bone. Blood vessels, torn open, spilling. Nerves, smashed and broken, firing. Pain hits me, and I'm thrashing and screaming, I can't do anything else. Part of me can hear Erin's gasp and Jet's sucked in breath. I must get away, I must escape the pain, but I can't. I can feel her close to me, her tongue in the cut, tasting the blood. Even as I feel the pain fading, cut sealing, some stubborn part of me refuses to stamp. Bones repairing, muscle flowing together, vessels, nerves reconnect, skin closes over even as the blood droplets are still running down over my naked skin. Pain stops, but the memory's still ringing in my head, and I'm gasping.

"That was a good scream, let's find some more. My good girl. You taste so good." She's breathing heavily too, and I can feel it, not sure whether it's empathy or the mark, but she's got this kind of predatory light in her. She's enjoying this. She wants to hurt me. I do/don't want her to hurt me, this me is suffering but what am I? If I'm hers, then the pain is hers to take.

Slash! Pause... slash! She's timing it, giving a moment for one to start closing as she opens another. And I'm screaming, desperately thrashing to make it stop but she doesn't stop, it's making things go white, I'm outside myself and inside, I can see myself screaming, and at the same time I'm floating, in her hands, small, held and safe. Time is meaningless. I'm hers.

It stops. I don't want to lose her touch, but she knows that, she moves up against me and hugs me, arms wrapped around me. I can hear her words, although they're from a distance. "My good girl. You took that so well." Tears are running down my cheeks with complete abandon, I'm sobbing and so grateful. "I'm going to give you a name dear, your name is Jules. My good girl, Jules."

I have a name. I'm something. She sees me and named me. I shudder with gratitude and crying. She's unclipping the restraints. Leading me slow step by step across the room, then her hands on my shoulders press me down into a kneel and I can hear the bed creak as she sits. "Come put your head in my lap dear. There's a good girl." She's stroking my hair, and I make it curl around her fingers lovingly. "Jet, be a dear and run a bath please. Comfortably warm, but not hot. Erin, how are you doing?"

Erin's responding as Sara takes the gag out of my mouth. It takes me a moment to parse her words. "I...I'm okay. She screamed so much and I wanted to help her, but I... kinda wanted you to do more, I was mad when you stopped, am I bad?"

Sara says, "No, sweetie, you're a predator, same as me, we like it when prey screams, it's normal to like it. When we play a game like this, we're using that to bring joy and catharsis, but we're enjoying ourselves too."

Is what I'm feeling, joy? I suppose it is. I feel so protected. Snuggling against Sara, I'm as secure and loved as Junior is. She lifts off my blindfold and releases my senses, and I can feel the room, with the restraints I was dangling from already being reabsorbed into the stone wall, and the carpet where I was standing flagging up on my life sense as 'blood, fresh', although the floor is drinking that up. And Sara above me, licking the blood off her fingers, lazily. My gag might be off but I don't have words. But I flood love at her through my eyes and the mark.

Jet says "Bath's ready!" And Sara says "Come on dear, let's get you cleaned off", and she picks me up with tentacles and carries me into the en suite. I feel like I'm floating, held by her. And then she's lowering me down into warm, relaxing water. She says, "This bath is the last part of the game, and when you step out of it, the game's over, but you're absolutely welcome to be as snuggly and clinging as you like, love."

I'm sad, because it's ending, and I'm crying again, but I get to say, "yes, mistress", tasting those words for the last time tonight, while she's gently washing me off. And she says "My good girl", which brings another flood of tears.

Then she's helping me out of the water, and I'm clinging to her as she towels me off, and we go back into the other room, and sit together on the bed, although I still can't speak much, but I just snuggle against her and let everything wash over me. The others are talking about it, what we did together, but that's their conversation not mine. I'm content to sit, and then to nibble when mistress... when Sara hands me a plastic wrapped pasty. And despite it being cafeteria-machine food, somehow it's the most delicious thing on the planet.


	63. Part 63

# # Part sixty three

I end up squinched up on the bed so I can lie along the length of it with my head in Sara's lap, and the other two can sit and pet me. Clothes feel like they're the furthest thing from possible. Words are only slowly coming back to me. I'm happy to be loved and touched by everyone. I look up at Sara, who is the sun I turn around. "First", I say. Trying to find words. "You... my first. Never. Never before subbed. Dom a little. Watch a lot. First time is yours... m..mistress. Sara."

"Thank you, I shall treasure it. Tasty Jules. Want another cookie? I might be fattening you up, you know." She is a huge tease and I love her.

"Pretty red fingers", I say, remembering. "My red." Nibbling the cookie.

"Yes, you were delicious", she smirks. "I might want more, you know." The cookie is delicious, too.

"Said before. No skin boundary. Want, take."

She hisses breath through her teeth. "You miss, are scary tempting."

"Good, tempt", I giggle and kiss her.

Erin's saying something, and it takes me a moment to figure it out. Somehow, people who aren't mistress are harder to understand. "Was it really okay, did you... like it?" I understand how she can't find words. But I understand what she meant.

I explain, "Hurt, horrible, pain, crying, no escape, was good. Give to mistress. Hers. She hurt, is love. She kiss, is love. Not make sense, make perfect sense. Is no me nowhere. Is her only, all her." Gosh I'm garbling. But I think I was understood.

"Is it okay... that I liked it?" My heart goes out to her.

"Yes okay. Please enjoy. Mistress... Sara share with you. Scream also for you. Tasty."

"Yes tasty... you've got me talking like you. I didn't know that about myself."

"Happy first time", I'm giggling again.

I feel my emotions turn so suddenly it's like a rush of shock. I'm shivering. Sara reaches down and picks up a blanket - I think the room just made it - and arranges it over me. It's soft. Tears are coming and I can't stop them. I try to speak but nothing comes out. She strokes my hair gently, and it helps. I was so afraid. It was so painful. How could I let myself do that? But I chose to. I won't let go of that. I chose to place my everything in her hands, and she chose to give me that, and it did heal me, my head feels like she blew the cobwebs away and everything is shining. But also raw and completely unprotected, no skin boundary in more ways than one. I feel like her hand on my hair is touching my soul. But she's so gentle. I love her so much. Oh gosh my emotions are spinning like a top. I giggle at myself.

"Let it come out, don't try to hold it back, whatever it is, it's okay", she's so kind, I feel like I don't deserve it... and now I'm crying again. Who am I to be something to her? But she's choosing to hold me. I can grab onto that when the rest of the world is spinning.

"M..mistress, thank you." She is my life line.

"I'm Sara now, mistress was in the game. Thank you, love. You're wonderful, do you know that?" I can feel her guiding me up to the surface. Am I wonderful? Who am I.

She gave me a name. She named me Jules. It feels like a new name, like it hardly fits. But even so, because she said it, I'm Jules. Bits of me are starting to come back. I almost want them not to, want to wallow in this emptiness filled only with her. But I know she isn't going away. I know she will be there, so I can pull my pieces together, slowly, knowing her light won't fade. She called me wonderful. Because she said it, it must be true. "I know it, because you said it", I say, even though it took me ages to reply. "Did you know, I trust you, means I love you. Silly story about Martians taught me that. I trust you." My words are coming back.

"I love you too, silly." She is the best thing in my life.

Jet asks, sounding hesitant, "Can you do that, like that... for me? Some time. Not right now."

Sara shakes her head. "Not until we break your curse. And then it will be up to you as Jade. You can't feel pain, dear. I'm truly sorry."

Jet's "oh" is heartbreaking and I reach out a hand to her, and say "We'll fix it. I'm sure. Not long." She looks like she's crying, although the black fabric she's made of can't show tears. But she squeezes my hand.

I say, "Watch when we play, perhaps it will help some." Which implies we'll play more. Ack. What checks is my mouth writing that my behind is going to have to cash?

She nods. "I think it did, thanks Jules." Which means there's no way I can't, now, Jet and Jade, even though they've diverged, they're like a cute sister I want to look after.

Sara's smirk confirms she got that. Gah. Frustrating genius. Pretend to be dumber or something! I lean back in her lap and snuggle against her warmth. More pain, more joy. More getting broken apart and put back together. Well, I did sign up for weird.

I yawn. Suddenly, I'm so tired. Feels like I'm glued down, there's no way I could get up. All of me aches, although it's a good ache. I know I'm completely healed. But my whole body is reporting as depleted. Not lack of any one thing I could replace, just all my gauges at "plz rest". And besides, I won't tinker and fix this, I want to feel it, the whole roller coaster ride. What mistress... Sara... no, she's still mistress, gave me, I want to take it all. Sara whispers something to Erin, that I don't bother to track, and then I feel the room un-rotate, and Erin goes jogging off on some errand. A couple of curious heads peek in the door. Jamie and Paige.

"Hey you two", I say from the bed, and Sara's lap. "Don't mind us." Which makes them giggle, and me grin as they come in.

"So is this pet Jules day?" Jamie asks. Memory of claws cutting into me, and a snicker turns into a laugh and I can't stop. Oh yes, Sara petted me. She was loving and gentle. I can still track the new growth in my back where she cut, although you couldn't tell it apart to look at it. My bones remember her loving caress. Although, cruelly treated as they were, I think even they feel the way she became everything for us and surrounded us, and treasure the memory. My attention surfaces again, and Jet is telling Jamie what we did. I think Sara's right, Jamie doesn't have the nature to get it. What we did wasn't sexual as kink play goes, but sexuality was... the frame. Some asexual people might still be into kink, but Jamie doesn't even have that frame. Which is fine, not everyone has to be into what I'm into.

Paige, she gets it. And sees me, too, in a clear way I think Jamie maybe doesn't. She says, "Jamie, look at her, look hard and see how she's different from dinnertime." And that breaks through.

Jamie says "Okay okay. I don't get it, it sounds like a scene from a slasher movie, but I can see it worked. Welcome back to the land of the living, whatever crazy way they got you back, Jules, it's good to see you back. You were a zombie, you know?"

"I was carrying stuff I didn't need to be carrying", I say. "And bottling up so much. But I'm back now, kinda sorta. I'm still putting my pieces back together."

Sara says, "You're going to be staying here tonight, so I can watch and be sure none of them comes back unstuck."

"I need to be up early, six AM at Zenith's room", I protest. But Sara replies "I don't sleep, love. I'll wake you in time." And that works.

Cue Erin, returning with pyjamas, two sets of. Hers and mine. Sara grins and claps and says, "alright! I officially declare this to be a pyjama sleepover. You three are overdressed, Jules you're underdressed, chop chop, up you get." Which makes me giggle, and, because it feels right, I put on my pyjamas the old fashioned way. Not especially caring if I flash the others in the process. They've seen it before. Sara understands the gesture, she gives me a headpat for well done, which makes me melt all over again. Gah, you're going to leave me stuck in permanent subspace, silly Sara.

Out of curiosity, now I'm up, I pad over to the spot where my blood must have completely drenched the carpet. But it's dry to a finger touch.

Jet says, "The room drank it." She's already shifted to look like pyjamas.

That gets a curious look from the others, so Jet explains how Sara was making blood run down me like water. Which gets a wince from Jamie, and a teeth-click sound from Paige. She looks a little surprised at herself for making the noise, but I think I know what that means. Erin does too, and she explains it. "Paige, you're a predator. Your body knows that. I got a lesson in that tonight. You wish you'd been there to watch. Your teeth click, because it's the body's knowledge, a killing bite. Jules was prey, and it was magnificent. Next time, perhaps." Oh hey, Erin knows there'll be a next time, too. Doomed, I say, doomed.

Paige giggles seeing my face. "Next time. Yeah, perhaps. Maybe, if I have to have red memories, I can make some nice fun ones. You up for a rematch, Jules?"

"Not tonight, at the very least", I say, giving up my struggle and letting myself grin. "But okay, I quit squirming on the hook, there will be a next time."

"Ooh, hooks", Sara is not one to miss a trick. My mouth. Seriously. I drop butt first to the floor, incapacitated by giggles. And she says to Paige, "Yes, I think next time, you can be here." To which, yay. I will enjoy sharing with Paige.

My hands on the carpet remind me. "Hope you enjoyed to too, room", I say. And I get the feeling it's nuzzling against my fingers. Really, the room was part of our play too. I wonder if, from its way of feeling, it held me? I know it definitely got to taste me.

And the tiredness is back. Sara's dragging out futons, and I gratefully grab one, and she pulls a duvet over me, and gives me a pillow, and then sits beside and strokes my hair as I let myself drift, trust and love and happiness and tiredness filling me, and fall sound asleep.


	64. Part 64

# # Part sixty four

Staying conscious through the soft fall from dreamless sleep to dreams has become a quiet joy in my new life. And it's nice to watch the dreams form, I don't just get dropped into them, I can watch them take shape.

One's starting to form. An all-red sky, dark earth of cinders, black thorny tree, crows circling, with myself strapped naked to the tree by ribbons of starlight bound around my wrists... and a hand reaches in and sweeps it away half formed. "Too violent, sweetie, you need a rest."

Playfully, I make an anti-violent world, multicoloured deep bouncy moss, a pastel sky full of glittering motes of life. And I land feet first in the moss, trampoline-bouncing head over heels. "There, better?"

A giggling Sara lands in the moss beside me with a whoomph. "Much better. Much as I'd enjoy a good bloody sacrifice dream, we can save that for when you aren't getting your brain cleaned out and polished."

"I was gonna do that then?" I ask.

"Oh yeah, heart cut out and everything. Honestly, I thought it was very sweet and beautifully aesthetic, but I'm busy healing you and it wasn't helping."

"No skin boundary" I tease.

"Yeah, you were gonna say that there too." She rolls over so she's able to lie on top of me and play fingers over my bare skin. "Are you really so eager to have me poke around in your insides?"

"I'm curious", I admit. "I know you can go in without doing harm, I don't even have to bend my no-being-callous rule for you, although I totally would. But I wonder if people have inside erogenous zones that nobody ever finds?"

She looks curious at that. "That is such an intriguing idea. I'm actually tempted to try that. After your interview perhaps?"

"After that, I've got trying out my lightsaber", I say. "You might like to come watch, it should be nifty. But after that perhaps?"

She smiles. "It's a date".

And then we spend awhile just having awesome fun bouncing on the moss. I wonder if I can find a way to copy this over to the real world? Because being able to bounce and feel completely safe is a lovely thing.

I wake slowly to teasing touches, herself squatted down beside me where I'm lying on the futon. "Wakey wakey beloved. Time to up and wow them." I haven't really had enough sleep, but I set a few threads off to deep-sleep with the REM switched off, and manually flush the fatigue toxins. Sit up, rubbing my eyes.

"Hey love", I say. "Thank you so much. Whee. That was the best memory in my life, I think."

We step among the snoring futons, and I grab my folded clothes from yesterday, I'm almost loath to unfold them. Sara, mind-reader, says "Silly, yes you may", and that part of my mind rejoices in being given permission like that. So I get dressed.

"You know", I say quietly, "I think that a part of me hasn't stopped playing the game. Here I am, wanting your permission for little things, and feeling like whatever gives you happiness is what I should be doing."

She nods. "It's normal. Just ride it and indulge it. I'll try to be around a lot today, although there's bits you'll have to do solo. But you can reach me over the mark any time, any place. Don't feel bad for needing me."

"Yes, mistress", I tease. Which gets me kissed and called naughty. Mixed messages!

Alright, ready to go. Sara ruffles my hair. "You should be okay, there's nobody about at this hour of the morning, but if you get jumped and hassled, I'm giving you advance permission to use necessary force."

"Yes... Sara." Barely caught it, but my efforts get me a pat on the head and called a good girl, so I'm beaming as I walk down the tunnel towards Poe. Whee. I really am reacting differently from normal. But if it comes with this euphoria, I can handle that.

She's right that the tunnels are empty but I'm guessing I tripped a ward or something because when I reach Poe, I run straight into Mrs Horton, pretty unsubtly camping my spawn point. Should I have direct-jumped? Nah, if she's determined to confront me, she'd have that covered too. "Morning, Mrs Horton." Might as well start off politely.

"Oh, you do still live here?" I guess she doesn't feel inclined to be polite. "Because I couldn't tell, given how often you are in your room overnight. After curfew, and lights-out."

"I was in Sara's room", I say. "We had a sleepover."

"Perhaps you mean an orgy?"

"No, that was before the sleepover", use sarcasm on me, get sarcasm back.

"Young lady, the Head has asked me to investigate a rumour." Oh yikes. I guess we flustered the Head enough that she forgot to rescind that particular command.

"Let me guess, the one where I'm pregnant?" I'm not in the mood, I really am not.

"Indeed. Well, are you?"

"Not in this body and not in this school", I say, because given how many beans I'm about to spill, I just can't be bothered to spin a lie. "And the Head knows the whole story directly from me, so I suggest you raise it with her."

She sighs. And her worry shows through her sarcastic front. "Dear, who with? If it's that demon girl..."

"I *am* a demon girl, imprecisely put, so please don't be speciesist, and no. Not with Sara. Not with any other student in this school."

"With an outsider?"

"Neither that. I'll leave the deduction to you, Mrs Horton. I have a radio interview I need to prepare for."

She looks confused, and sighs. "I worry for you, dear."

"So please don't drop burdens on me", I say. "I'm carrying enough of them. Apologies, I need to go, or I'll be late."

She nods, looking subdued.

Given it's less than a minute to six, I have to fly myself up, thankfully I'm getting much better at that. And I touch down on the carpet outside Zenith's door at 06:00 precise.

She opens the door without me having to knock. And looks a little startled to see me. Like me, she's in casual clothes, it looks like she's the tracksuit type.

I say, "Morning, were you thinking I was gonna stand you up?"

"Hoping", she says, sounding resigned. "If you couldn't follow instructions, I'd have an excuse to turn you down. Come on, follow me, I don't want to wake Shrike. Even if she is your biggest fan."

"Do you dislike me that much?" I say, because it does hurt.

"I'm afraid of you", she says as we walk downstairs. "I was afraid when it was just you spinning a yarn, and I'm doubly afraid, now the Head comes out and tells me this damn-fool interview is a go, on her authority, because she believes you."

"I'm mostly nice", I promise.

"Mostly, hmm?"

"I can be snappish if pushed and I get outright unfriendly when people kidnap my friends."

"Yeah, I can see why that wouldn't leave you in the best of moods", she admits. We're headed for the ground level door, rather than the tunnels.

"Going overland?" I ask.

"I normally go for a run over to Kane. Will you be okay, pacing me?"

"Shouldn't be a problem if we stay on the cleared paths", I say. My sneakers aren't suited to deep snow, and I'll trash the toes on them if I have to extend claws to grip. They're a copy, of course, but something in me revolts against tearing stuff up.

She hesitates. "Caitlin told me you applied to join the Hooligans. I normally mix in a bit of free-running."

I consider that. I could wear my stompy boots, but honestly, if push comes to shove I'd rather have the option of popping claws, and those things would stop me. "I'll be right behind you."

We set off. It's chilly out, but I've set up an automatic control loop for that, and my heat generation and sugar creation goes up automatically. Oddly, one of the downsides of my exemplar rating is that I can't get warm just by jogging at anything like road-legal speeds. Against the strength of my muscles now, my body feels like it has the mass of a cardboard cut-out, it's just not work. Cape-world problems?

I can see why she said free-running rather than parkour. She makes a point of going up and over every obstacle she can find. Me, I play by following in her footsteps - her *exact* footsteps. I'm mostly being silly, but it sort of is a way to get to know her better. I admit, it bothers me that I scared her. Mentally, I'm bopping myself on the head. Next time, doofus, don't boast. Maybe with better understanding, I can rebuild bridges?

We reach Kane, she goes up the stairs handrail, and reaches for the door, frowning a little when it's already unlocked. Racing against the gadget? Me, I can't stay locked in her track any more, so I take the whole staircase with a single measured step that takes me to the top and into my next step. She goes in, I follow. And she turns off to a side, into a room where I find someone I didn't expect to see until later - Caitlin, looking at monitors. Screens that show the path on which we just ran.

"So?", asks Zenith, "Is she in?"

If you're having a sinking feeling at this point, you aren't alone. Caitlin sighs. "Lemme show you a thing." She keys some commands and brings up a view on the big monitor. It's the bus stop. Zenith jumps onto the big bin, jumps again onto the roof, and jumps off into a roll. A moment later, I follow her. "See it? No, I suppose you don't. Here, let me composite it." She tweaks something, and a blurred after-image of Zenith walks backwards until it's overlaid on me, then she winds the whole thing back... we leap on the bin, catch the roof, leap off, land. As precisely overlaid as if it was two renders of the same CGI scene with a different avatar. Pausing and enlarging where we land, our hands touching the same place on the snow before the roll, Caitlin says, "She landed in your fingerprints, Zoe. Kid, I wager, you landed the whorls aligned?"

"Couldn't, her prints are different", I admit. Yes I was being playful, but eep.

"I saw precisely one move that was her own. This last." She stops the compositing, switches the view, rolls forwards, I step up the stairs into Kane. "One step, no hesitation, no imprecision. And, roll back the landing, here we go, slow, She's got exactly enough momentum to carry her center of balance over the cantilever toe and into the next flat ground step. Measured to the microgram." She sighs and looks at me. "Kid, parkour is not for you, or perhaps, you're not for parkour. You can do the moves, you can play by running, maybe you can even join in our runs sometime, but the element of exploration, uncertainty, adaptation in the face of danger... it just doesn't exist for you. You move like it's math."

For me it *is* math. She's right, but it feels like the rug got pulled from under me, and I'm crying. I shouldn't be crying. This is just a small loss. Damn it.

"Here, don't cry, hold up, have a tissue." Caitlin's not mad at me, but she's a true judge. I sniffle into the tissue.

Worst thing is, I think I might have driven me and Zoe further apart.

Do. Not. Boast.

Damn it.


	65. Part 65

# # Part sixty five

"Love, what is it?" Sara's sensing my distress through the mark. "Lock to me and speed up your timebase." So I do that, outside slows to a near-halt, and she brings the dream-room with her so we can have someplace to sit together. I'm bawling tears and she hugs me and holds me. "Show me what happened, dear."

So I play back the disastrous run. When we get to the end, I say through tears, "I was wanting to do parkour. My old life, I couldn't, and when I got here, I thought now I could. But she's right, it's not possible. It just isn't."

Sara leans back on the bed and sighs. "You can and you can't. Love, you should have faced this crisis sooner, I'm sorry I didn't spot it. I think, perhaps each time you just blamed yourself, like you're doing now. But you mustn't, sweetie, you did nothing wrong." She emphasizes her words with a push of certainty that helps calm and heal my feeling of wanting to slap myself. "Nothing at all. You were playful. You wanted to find empathy with Zenith, in a non-intrusive way. You enjoyed exercising your skill of movement. You did nothing wrong."

I snuggle up against her, "Then I'm just confused."

"You can recognise the confusion, rather than burying it in rationalization, that's an important step", she says. "Sweetheart, the answer is a secret that every kid with powers has to learn in their own way. When you gain, you lose. Become more than human, and some of what was human slips away." She pauses, I can feel her searching my memories, then lighting on something, she brings up a TV screen, and it's showing a scene from the movie Aliens. A bunch of macho marines are joking, and one of them wants the android to do a trick with a knife and his fingers. Then the macho guy is tricked and trapped into being the one with fingers down, the android's hand goes over-top his and the knife starts to move, stab-stab-stabbing into the table top while he yells in fear. But it's obvious he's in no danger, even as the android's knife moves too fast to follow. She stops the scene there.

"Love, when one of those marines plays that game, it's a game. They're wagering their skill against giving themselves a painful injury. But can that android, Bishop, play the game?"

It hits me. "No. No he can't. He knows where he's putting the knife. For him, it isn't a game, is it?"

She nods. "It's a demonstration, it's a fake-out, it's deliberately playing up his inhumanity, he might have any dozen reasons. But it can never be a game to him. Love, did you ever wonder why I don't run with them? It's not as if I don't enjoy a run or an obstacle course, but the game of parkour isn't a game to me, same way jump rope wouldn't be, or that knife game. Nor you, now. You could move that knife as fast as Bishop did, and as precisely. Parkour is for humans, and you aren't."

I snuggle up to her again, and cry. It's a bitter kind of loss, and I hadn't been expecting it. But she's right, I was blaming myself and I need to stop. She strokes my hair until the tears dry.

"I'm a silly", I say.

"My silly", she agrees. "Let go of that rule you just tried to push yourself into taking. You can tell the difference between bragging and playing. Don't brag, that's a good rule. Don't be playful, isn't. You'd stifle yourself horribly. Let it loose."

"Yes Sara." Feeling like I want to obey her helps.

"Okay dear, timebase back to normal. I'll be here."

And I'm back in the room.

Caitlin's looking at me. "Something just happened, there. Your attention went weird, your eyes were flickering, your whole attitude changed in an instant."

So I explain what Sara just taught me. And after being amused at the method of delivery, she nods. "Yeah, she's right. There's things like that for all of us here. Don't let it put you off playing. I'll happily teach you any of the moves you don't know, or Zoe will", a glance at Zenith that meets temporary resistance, and then resignation and agreement. "Come play along with us if you like. Just because you can do it precisely, doesn't mean you can't have fun."

Zenith says, "And I apologise, I sprang that on you, not quite a trick, but a pop quiz that nobody asked your consent for. I didn't realise it would hit you so hard."

"Forgiven", I say. And maybe, there's a bridge between us again. "We should plan the interview."

She nods. "Yeah, we should. Sorry Caitlin, gotta run."

Caitlin chuckled. "Get along with you. And see you after, kid, I haven't forgotten." I grin, because my lightsaber is going to be fun.

The room we settle in is next to the radio studio itself, and we can hear the music and chatter.

"So what do you need to get across?"

I take a moment to organize my thoughts. "Okay so. Rough topic headings. Each lays the foundation for the next... What I am. The problem I saw. What I did to fix it. The change affects all life. The change affects humanity too. How it affects humans is uncertain, but we have pointers. List off the kinds of effects it seems to have. People near me are getting affected faster. Explain the resonance theory. Even being far away from me won't stop the changes, but the rate is unknown. We should welcome the changes."

She notes them down. "Good, you didn't touch on any of the Head's no-go topics."

"What are those?" I ask curiously.

"She doesn't want you mentioning the great old one war. Which sounds ominous as hell and gagging you about it is worse."

I wince. "Yeah, but I can see her point, high risk of causing mass irrationality there. There is a war, and we're on humanity's side, me, Sara, a few others. I kinda mentioned it in passing when we talked before. What I did was basically the first major break our side has had in the war. Up until then, it was more like digging heels in and trying to be dragged slower. If I named names, it would terrify and panic a lot of people, it might even generate support for the enemy. It sure would invigorate his cult. And a lot of his puppets would be inclined to lash out against me, Sara, the school. Messy, and best avoided."

She winces. "Hoo boy."

"If you think hearing it is fun, try being the one fighting it", I say.

"Okay, setting that waking nightmare aside. She also said, no advertising your conference. That being the one you're planning to cement this stuff in the public imagination?"

"Mostly Sara's planning it, because it's her religion, she knows the people", I say. "But yeah. I guess the Head doesn't want the school radio station picking religious sides, especially not with a fringe, hippie sex cult. Fringe for now, that is."

"Heh. Next, no telling people what their values should be, coming out of this. Tell them the changes they can expect. Not how to react to them."

"I'm going to be making the case that they're good. I don't think that's telling people what to feel or believe, just sticking up for what I believe."

She nods. "Works for me. Last, nothing about the pregnancy. Yours?"

"I'm hardly going to tell the whole school about that", I say. "It's none of their business and would be no interest except as gossip. But yes, mine. And no, not this body."

She looks at me. "You're way the hell young for that, you know?"

"I've got an income, a roof over my head, friends and family, I can give her complete and constant attention, I won't miss a day of school."

She just shakes her head. "Yeah, but it still feels wrong."

"Out of the interview's scope, anyhow. You can leave that to Peeper. I bet he comes and chases me about it."

She chuckles. "He wants to, I'll bet, if there's a rumour he has wind of. But he's a bit terrified of you. And his show's off the air anyhow until Greasy gets out of Doyle."

"I don't know why he's afraid of me, I don't even mind him. He's at least honestly lecherous", I say.

She looks at me curiously, head tilted. "I suppose you really are one hundred percent lesbian, if it never even occurred to you. Idiot, he likes you. Most of the girls here treat him like dirt. They don't listen to him, they won't give him the time of day, they tell him to fuck off when he shoves a mike in their faces. When he acts lecherous, they're disgusted. He's used to that, he uses their squeamishness as leverage to make them talk, but it's revenge. He knows they don't want him and he's paying them back, but in the end it's a lonely life. You, you talked to him, treated him like a human, didn't care when he went lecherous places, went some of your own. You told him you're off the menu, but it's not personal to him. He thinks he admires you, but I'd lay odds he has an enormous crush. Don't break his heart, hmm? He's a selfish, sociopathic ass, but I have to work with him."

Oh, oh dear. "Aww man, my heart goes out to him, but I can see how that goes and I won't pity him, that wouldn't be dignified. But I might give him more interviews."

She shakes her head. "You're gonna have him following you like a puppy dog, damn. Poor Greasy."

I'm confused. "Why poor him?"

"You haven't seen them together yet, have you? Greasy has a one way thing for him. Peeper has no clue. Greasy won't tell him. He doesn't expect it to be requited, ever, I think. He's made his peace with that."

I shake my head at the craziness of fate. "It's like something out of Shakespeare. A love triangle with me at the point and I don't even know. Well, I suppose I know now. I'll try and be gentle with them."

She looks at me thoughtfully. "You've got a soft heart, and I can respect that. This whole business", she gestures at the notes, "You did it for us, didn't you? You don't get a damn thing out of it except strife. And there was me being afraid of you."

"For all life, for humans, but also for me. You know, I have to live in the world. It matters to me to make it kinder and gentler. I won't die, you know? Not just regen six, but I can make fresh bodies, at some level I exist outside time. I'll outlive geology, let alone people. Can you imagine thousands and thousands of years of heartbreak? Because I have a good imagination."

I guess that gets through. "Damn. I guess you really do have a different perspective on things. That's pretty horrifying. I can't imagine being so much longer lived than everyone I'll ever meet."

"I suspect there's a few long-lifers, and we'll get to meet each other by the by, and become either friends or frenemies. But humans aren't ephemeral to me, it just reminds me to focus in the now and not let the chances slip by. But because of what I did, I can look forward to things becoming brighter, it won't be made worse by seeing it all get shredded slowly apart by the winds of entropy. That was why I did it, I wanted an answer to that despair."

She nods. "I think I'm finally starting to get that."


	66. Part 66

# # Part sixty six

****13th January, 2007, WARS studio, base of Kane Hall observatory tower****

"Good morning, it's nine in the AM on W. A. R. S. this Saturday and I'm Zenith picking up the mike for the Voice of Reason, the show that thinks before it speaks. On today's show we have a special guest, by invitation from the headmistress herself, please say hello, Miss Parallel."

"Hello everyone! Those of you I haven't met yet, nice to meet you, if one sidedly. Those I have, hi again!"

"Friendly sort, aren't you? So, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself. In an earlier interview, you said you were a demon?"

"Well, I didn't know the right terminology back then, so that's a little imprecise. What I actually am is a thing with the slightly embarrassing name of Great Old One. We tend to use the acronym GOO, because it's a little less embarrassing. And because while a lot of my kind are indeed very old, I'm very new. Last Sunday, I was still more human than not."

"And that changed on Monday?"

"Monday evening, yeah. I hatched."

"That's a suspicious coincidence given all the stuff that happened then. Not just here, but it was all over the news globally."

"No coincidence, that was me."

"Seriously? You affected things on the other side of the planet?"

"Way further than that. But I've got to step back a bit to explain what and why."

"Okay, so where would you like to start?"

"With lineage. So, there's more than one kind of GOO. Some of them are just outsiders to this universe, but some were sparked by the personified powers of this universe. The Kellith, who sparked me, was sparked herself by the life power. So life, as a theme, runs through to me, and I took to the study of life as we GOOs understand it with ease and enjoyment. But my enjoyment was dampened once I understood how the fundamental laws of metaphysics of life were arranged. This has always been knowledge restricted away from the public, because it tended to drive those who understood it mad with despair. The rules of life were amoral, loveless, they would eventually shatter down any beauty into mere eating and growing and reproducing. Everything of value was certain to be lost."

"That's... horrible, terrifying."

"I agree. But I realised I had an opportunity to act. Just one, the moment when I hatched. What that meant was becoming something that was a stark metaphysical fact, and I could choose what kind of fact. I could forcibly insert myself as a new corollary to the laws of life. I could change the rules, rewrite the universe at a really fundamental level, and make goodness and beauty win, rather than lose."

"I thought you just did the flowers and stuff, but that sounds way, way bigger."

"The flowers, butterflies, glowing tides, all that stuff, they were just the smallest bit of the change I'd made, flashing over into immediate life. The change itself... it happened everywhere, instantaneously, and even retroactively. But the universe doesn't turn on a dime, so it's still working its way out. And it's not just the new species, it's affecting every existing species. And here's where we get back to what I need to tell you about, because it's affecting humanity too."

"I mean, given what you said, it sounds like it'll be a good effect?"

"What I did, it's actually one single thing, one concept, but it's a big concept and you have to have a certain shape of mind to think it, it definitely doesn't go into one English word. But if was to try and describe it in English, that would go something like this: a fractal tropism at every level, towards beneficial mutualism and complex beauty. It's a very low-level concept, because it applies to stuff that's smaller than a cell, all the way up. In humanity, it applies in many layers. Our cells. Our organs and bodies. Our unconscious brain processing. Our conscious minds. Our identities. Our beliefs and ideas. Our societies. All of those levels are adjusting, changing, driven by that same one thing. It is good, yes. It's going to bring a genuinely better world."

"Changing, you say, changing how fast? And what are the changes?"

"Well, taking the speed thing first, I don't know is the answer. We won't know, until we've had time to see how the trends in sociological indicators change, and how fast. But there's a twist to the speed thing that might let me answer your other question, if only tentatively."

"A twist?"

"Yeah. So. Me as I am now, I embody that one concept, in a really fundamental way, me and that change I made are one and the same thing. And so we come to why I have to tell the school, and why I can know a bit about where we're all going. You see, being near me pulls people into resonance with me. And that means, they are pulled towards the new normal, much faster than the rest of the world."

"So wait, I'm in the same room as you, I'm being pulled?"

"You are. Even being around me in the school, perhaps in the whole state, you're being pulled. The longer you're close to me, the more the effect. The nearer, the more the effect. And if I were to bring my less human GOO self forward, I call her 'big me', then you'd be pulled even harder."

"Yeah, maybe you shouldn't do that."

"Aww, you'd like her, she's a sweetie-pie as huge and alien intellects go. But what this means is, my closest friends who I spend a lot of time with are further along the change than the rest of humanity, and so are some people who've been in close contact with big me, and we can make some guesses already from how they've been affected. Bearing in mind though, it's both a very unrepresentative sample, and a very small N."

"Those are important caveats, so, I guess we can't take this as more than guidelines?"

"Yeah. The universe changed less than a week ago, data is still thin on the ground."

"So why don't you tell me what you've seen, with those caveats taken as read."

"The first one is it's clearly amplifying love. All the kinds of love. Although it seems to start from what's already there. Sexual people get more sexual. Asexual people don't, but they do get more snuggly. Polyamorous people find it easier to widen their net. Exclusive people find it easier to accept polyamory in others. Without seeing evidence yet, I'd lay strong odds it will make parents love their children more, and children be more snuggly and loving back. Second one, which ties in with that, is that it seems to release taboos. Sexual people don't just get more sexual, they get more easygoing about where, how, with who. And so forth."

"I can see that one having a mixed reception. Are you implying we're all going to turn into sluts?"

"I wouldn't use that word, it has a lot of unkind judgement built into it. But if I had to answer you in one word, yes. But the actual answer is more complex. I've seen evidence of much easier, what you might call slutty sexuality among those who are already in love. But we also see that my friends, and some others who have been affected, aren't making unusual sexual approaches towards those they aren't already intimate with. This seems to fit the pattern of amplifying what was already there. Think of it like oxytocin, the chemical they call the hug hormone, that makes you feel loving and caring towards those you consider your in-group, while not making you dive into a hug with a stranger."

"Still, isn't that going to lead to a lot of exploitative behaviour?"

"I don't have much data there, because my friends are already very caring people. But my feeling is that it's going to make people care much more about consent, rather than less. Beneficial mutualism, remember. Towards benefit, implies away from exploitation. And that interacts with the taboo weakening. We've seen that some of my friends who used to have blanket negative attitudes about for example, incestuous relationships, decide that consent matters more than the taboo, and the presence of consent justifies the relationship. Implying absence would condemn it."

"Well, folks, there you have it. What Miss Parallel did, is going to change the world in strange ways that not everyone will approve of. And it's going to change us, here, faster than the outside world, because she's here among us. She felt, and the Headmistress concurs, that you all needed to be told immediately as soon as this was discovered, that this shouldn't be hidden away or handed to you later as a fait accompli. But Miss Parallel also feels that what she did was necessary, and that once we're out on the other side it'll be a nicer world. Perhaps one with less bigotry and division. Certainly a more loving and kind world. And after hearing her explain it, I find I agree, and it seems the Headmistress does too. Alright, now I'm going to open the lines to callers, so we can take questions. Hi, caller, can you tell me your name or codename, where you're from, and then ask your question?"

"Hi Zenith. I'm Isaiah Collins, from Berlin New Hampshire. I've got two questions for Miss Parallel. First, by whose authority did she make such a vast and sweeping alteration. Second, how does she square it with the laws of God, that do not change?"

"Mister Collins, hello. The answer to your first question is simply that I did it myself. I saw the danger and the need, and I took action. There was no time for debate, because I didn't have a choice about when I was going to hatch, or more than an hour of warning. The window of opportunity was only open that one instant, late on Monday afternoon. I chose to take it. As for your second question, I will simply indicate the many, many religious interpretations of the same scripture, and the many entirely different religions. Even as human nature changes, people will continue to make choices for themselves with their free will."

Well Miss Parallel, May God have mercy on you is all I can say."

"Thank you Isaiah Collins of Berlin. Next caller, hello."

"Hi Zenith, this Jadis Diabolik, from Whateley. Miss Parallel, we haven't met on campus yet. I have to ask, what if we don't want to become sluts? Because I don't personally fancy that idea."

"Hi Jadis, I hope I'll meet you around. My feeling is that the changes will amplify the kinds of love that are already prominent in your nature, and reduce taboos that get in its way. If you are either not sexual, or very private about it, that probably won't change. Those of my friends who are asexual, still are. But because they were already people willing to hug and be intimate that way, their willingness to snuggle has been amplified. If your way of expressing love is friendship, my guess is your friendships will deepen. If your way of expressing love is reading books, your love of literature will deepen. I don't think this change will break down barriers that express who you are. Only ones that impede who you are."

"Thank you, Miss Parallel. I hope you're correct, that certainly does put a better spin on things."

"And thank you Jadis Diabolik of Whateley. Next caller, hello?"


	67. Part 67

# # Part sixty seven

The reaction we got from callers was pretty mixed. Quite a few called up to berate me. Some thanked me, which was sweet. One asked how she could make the changes go faster. I told her to come meet me and I could do that. One declined to give a name and said he was afraid of what his family would do if he started acting true to his nature. That was heartbreaking. I apologized for the risk, since it's likely bigotry will go down, but not instantly, and some people will be caught in the intersection. And I asked all the listeners to please help and support the people they knew who might be in trouble like that. At that point, Zenith called time on the call-in.

When I finally get out of that studio, Caitlin's waiting for me outside, looks like she's been listening in. "Welcome back kid. Worn your voice out yet?"

I rub my throat. "Feels like I regenerated it about three times. You were waiting?"

"I was listening in, and then yeah, I decided to wait up and walk with you, in case we get an unfriendly reception. Some of those folks sounded pissed."

I grin. "It's appreciated. Yeah, my favourite was the you're encouraging homosexuality guy. No shit I am, genius." I run fingers through my hair, feeling drained. "Let's stop off some place that has coffee before we hit the testing range. At least that responsibility is out of my hair."

"Got a brewer down at the range. Stuff doesn't work on me, but the taste reminds me of better times."

We head off together into Kane proper, aiming for the tunnels. As we walk, she says, "You felt it was a responsibility, huh?"

"What I did on Monday, was all instinct, panic, and high level GOO concepts", I explain. "I was caught between a rock and a hard place, faced with a one-off opportunity, I took it. What it would do exactly, fuck knew. Initially I only saw the flowers and the effects on me. Took time to figure influence might be a thing, then get it confirmed at ARC, then I was talking through my suspicions with the Kimbas and Fey's rider cracked the mechanism. At that point... there was no way I couldn't own up and tell people. First off, I did a thing to them and I owe them that. Second, it's going to get blindingly obvious, here and globally. It would be nice if people saw it as something I warned them about, rather than something I kept under my hat until they didn't have a choice how to react. Also being able to live with myself is useful."

She chuckles at that. "On balance I feel you made a good choice. Even if it is gonna make your life interesting. The being able to live with yourself thing, that's important."

We're approaching the range, and Sara's leaning against the entrance looking lovable. As we reach the door I nuzzle into her and hug, and she fuzzes my hair.

"Come to watch, huh?" Caitlin smiles. "Alright, but make sure your lovey-dovey ass follows range directions, for all I know this widget's gonna go up like a firecracker."

"Liar", I say amused. "You know full well it's going to work."

"Rules are based on the worst case, not the expected case. Okay, I'll go put the coffee on, you go strap your widget into that cradle. I presume you can activate it remotely?"

"Messy answer. It's part of me, in a fundamental way it is me. It's no more remote to me than my own nose." I put it in the cradle and come back behind the transparent shield.

She returns from putting the coffee machine on, it burbles happily. "Next time just say yes. Okay fire her up, minimum power, just enough I can get readings."

I do so, and with a quiet buzz, a speck of purple appears at the emitter end. "I should be able to scale it all the way up. Max power will give a blade about meter long. Overpower will trip a fuse. That shouldn't be possible, but it's a precaution. I can make more of them extremely cheaply, so we can try that if you'd like."

She nods. "Good news is, I'm getting no gamma, next to no UV. Thermal emissions only on the vanes. Very tame little antimatter reactor you have there."

"Helps to be putting the antimatter in there myself, and not having to store or pipe it around", I agree. Sara's stood behind me watching with her arms around me, it's ridiculously comforting.

"Okay, run her up to half power." The spark turns into a hissing dagger of slightly painful to look at purple. Unlike the movie version's gentle hum, this sounds like what it is - ravening, star-hot plasma in a bottle.

"Still good. Full power." The blade is longer than my outstretched arm, a line of stark purple slightly diffused by the field around it into a broader purple blur. It hisses like an welding torch.

"Passes on emissions. Good work. Coffee should be done brewing, let's get some, now comes the long boring bit."

And then we get down to the painstaking process of gradually testing the blade on various substances, each of which presents an escalating level of gotcha for a potentially misdesigned blade. Do electrical conductors short out the blade? Nope. Does it blast a thin mild steel sheet into a roomful of hot vapour and sparks? Again nope. ("You would not believe how many sabers fail that one", Caitlin says.) Meantime I'm snuggling against Sara, which Caitlin is resolutely ignoring.

Over on the other side, in Gothmog's place, we're up and doing - well, more like studying, trying to figure out how to make soul-level comms links. That's still a worthy project, even if it did have to get paused for a night.

A note appears on the library table, Gothmog's handwriting. "You have an unexpected guest". Oho. And indeed, who comes padding into the library area but Paige, on her own. Of course we get up and give her a double hug.

"Hey cutie, what brought you over here?", I ask.

"Wanted to find out if I could", she says. "You and Sara can just go to and fro, I wasn't sure if I could. Turns out yes."

"You're family, silly, of course you can", I say.

She nods. "I was worrying about how I would escape if there was a raid on the school or something. They know about me, there's no way they won't come for me, one way or the other."

"And Petra", I say. "If they saw you, they can pretty easily put a name to a face in the school records, and then you have a twin registered, and they can point a telephoto camera at her. Not to mention Jo, they can match her pic to her old records, she doesn't look different."

She winces. "Damn, I hadn't thought about her in that way, but you're right."

"We need to get all the people together. Your family, the Head, the church. Perhaps even Ms Hartford, she feels involved. And then decide what to do about it. And soon, really."

She sighs and snuggles against me. "My life is never going to be quiet, is it?"

"Maybe not quiet, but you're no longer alone", I say. "You've got a pretty powerful posse. The Head will definitely go to bat for you. Me and Sara. The weres. Probably the church. Ms Hartford likely isn't feeling too benevolent towards a government that snipes at the students. And you have a bolthole here that I don't believe they can keep you out of. Plus, this", and I wave at my notes.

"What is it?" She looks, winces. "You know that R'Lyehian stuff makes my head spin. I get too much translation and none of it makes sense."

"Comms, at the soul level. One to one or groups. Able to be passed on to a consenting party. Able, also, to be used to lifeboat a soul from a dying body, if they're in group with me or Sara, possibly with Billie. Sympathetic link, you know? Our secret weapon initially, later, a way to bring all the humans closer together and weaken the control of bureaucracies. And I've wondered too, if we can use it to route IP."

Paige gets it instantly. "Internet they can't disconnect, no matter how much rock they bury me under. Direct wire-to-soul, zero latency, no messing. Shit Jules, you'll make me into something like a god."

"It's fun, we have cookies", I tease, which makes her snicker. "Yeah, if I can be, why not you too?"

She looks down at her feet for a moment. "It's hard to believe I'm worth so much effort. But I can only accept it. Thank you. I'm in, how can I help?"

"Well", I say, "We kind of need a lab rat."

"Me and my mouth." Which makes us all giggle. "Still in. Do your worst, doctor Jules."

"Cool, let's try this..."

Over on the other side, I'm the owner of a certified, Whateley legal lightsaber. Passed all its tests with flying colours. Classified as a live blade and a lethal weapon, casually drilling through the ceramic plates they use in the security suits here will do that. It deflects bullets and plasma bolts as expected. Useless against lasers, also as expected. We tested it with one of the other sabers from the armoury, and it was able to block and bind the blade, so I can do fencing moves. All basically as expected, it was big me's design at least partly, it's implausible it would fail. But going through the motions is important.

Speaking of which... "So Caitlin, can I try out some other stuff I wanted to test, while we're here?"

"What other stuff?" She looks suspicious, like I'm about to spring a new gadget on her.

"Powers stuff. Bullet blocking."

She tips her head to a side. "What powers exactly?"

"Firstly my gravity sense and fast mind, I should be able to track projectiles in real time if they're fairly close to me, and this range is all inside that zone. Second, I've got two powers I want to try against them. One is these compressed-space refractive shields." I make one appear above my hand, and she peers at it. "We tried them at ARC and they block damn near everything, but that was before I got good with g-sense. Now I should be able to deploy them reactively. And the second is using a temporary, small gravity well to drag them to a stop."

"Want to be Neo, huh? I've seen warpers do that, but only as a party trick. Bullets are hard to follow. Even a speedster can miss one in the visual noise, or because they were looking the wrong way."

"It's a full-sphere sense, depth and mass centric, no visual noise. We can try it shooting down range."

"Hell yeah, we'll try it shooting down range first, even if you have backup bodies, killing you is not on my to do list for today", she's amused. "Well, I don't see why we can't. It sounds like only bullets, not plasma or lasers?"

"I can reflect those, but I can't track anything that doesn't have mass, except visually", I confirm. "And with lasers, only after the fact."

"Not much use, if there's a hole burned in you."

"You'd be surprised. If I have a grid of me up, I should be able to learn the duty cycle and firing precursor signals, and slap a mirror in front when it hasn't fired yet, get it to blow itself up. Might have to spot them a few bodies."

"Scary kid", she chuckles.

"I do try not to make messy trade-offs like that. Getting zapped would still be unpleasant."

"No shit. Okay, let's try this out."

As we're doing that, I realise that she must have understood the tactical situation implied by my musings, and what it suggests I'm planning for. Not one on one with handheld rifles. One on one army. Scary kid. Heh.


	68. Part 68

# # Part sixty eight

Heading out of the range towards the Lovecraft room, last thing Sara and I expect is to be stopped by one of the Hawthorne guys, Slab, who I met while doing detention, and told someone has hurt the Kimbas. They're over in Doyle. Damn, I was worried about that sim run, I hope my vague-ass warning helped. Plans for fun have to be put on hold as we rush over to find out what happened.

A bit of fast talking gets us past reception, and we find the Kimbas in a room and at least looking physically in one piece.

"Hey Jules, Sara", Hank says. "Thanks for the heads up, Jules. It did help some, we were prepared for shenanigans. Not quite at the scale, though."

I look around. Everyone's registering with injuries on life sense. "How can a sim run do that? You all look like you ran into a team of villains."

"They jumped us with fake New Olympians", Hank says. "Of course we knew right away, Counterpoint is hardly likely to break out of jail and come and bother us in a sim run. But they were still dangerous. And the assholes overrode the suit safeties. They set Billie up to kill Stygian if she used her powers at all. She didn't, though."

"Shit, that's nasty." I head over to Billie, who's looking like someone shot her puppy, and go sit beside her, put an arm around her.

She looks up at me with tear-reddened eyes. "Jules, they were there, all the ghosts, people I'd killed. Thousands. Stygian held them back but they made me remember. He told them to stop. As soon as he realised what it was doing to me, he tried. Don't be mad at him, please?"

"If you say not, I won't", I say. "But I'm mad at whoever arranged this, it was beyond cruel."

Billie shakes her head. "I deserved it, I killed them, so many, Jules. I can't even count them, so many."

"You did not", I say. "That entity you connected to, and inherited, that one did. But I think, that one didn't have a choice?"

She nods. "It's true, no choice, no emotions either, but they didn't believe me."

"I believe you", I say. And Jade parks herself on the other side of Billie and joins the hug. "Me too, oneesan. The only people you've fought like that are the ones who were attacking you and your family, and that's different. These ghosts, you have the memories, but the guilt doesn't belong to you."

"Easy to say, hard to believe", she covers her eyes with her palms. "I can't forget, even if it wasn't me. So much blood and horror."

"If you wanna talk, or if you wanna stay off the subject, I can do that", I say. "Perhaps, think of it like, what you're doing in this life is changing that legacy you had no part of making. In this life, you're caring, and you do your best. In this life, you have free will."

She nods. "N... No more for now. But that helps. Thank you, both."

Meanwhile Sara's been talking to Ayla, and she dumps the details to me over the mark. The Alphas did it, via disposable patsies. I don't doubt the Head will come down on the patsies with no mercy, and equally I don't doubt the trail will go cold there, the real instigator won't be caught. But this feud nonsense has to end. I get up and join those two, leaving Jade to look after her adopted sister.

"Hey, I overheard. Do we have a plan?"

Ayla shakes his head. "Jade sicced the workshop people on the idiots who did it. The remaining New Olympians aren't going to be happy about someone using them for finger-puppets either. But that only takes care of the people who were set up to take the fall anyhow, win or lose. And we can't move against the Alphas directly, we've already had too many dust-ups with them. Nor would it even work, they'd look like they had the moral high ground, it's a frustrating situation."

Sara says, "I could go look in their dreams. But they'd be watching for that, they'd run to security and charge me with psychic intrusion, and they'd be right to."

"I'm going to have words with them", I say. "It seems like the only open course."

"If you scream or threaten, they'll use it against you", Ayla says. "They like to think they're the subtle ones. People who come against them overtly, they respond to covertly while claiming public innocence. It's a smart strategy, except that it pisses everyone off. Which makes it unsmart in the long run, but they don't get that yet."

I nod. "I don't plan to scream. Or drop any unsubtle threats."

"So what do you plan on saying?" Ayla's curious.

"First off, I'll be polite. I'll ask that Tansy girl, what would end the feud. I'm guessing she'll come out with some childish nonsense. I'll tell her no, and to think again like an adult. If she still won't budge, I'll just back off. But I'll mention to her, a million years from now, I'll still be alive."

Ayla thinks, and then winces. "I see. She probably isn't bright enough to get that. But I do. You're making it clear, having you for an enemy would be like a curse. You could grind down her life and then her legacy like water wearing away rock. Gah. Scary. Remind me to be nice to you." Which makes me laugh.

"Silly. You're a friend."

He smiles. "Nice to know." And looking at the clock on the wall, "You need to head to lunch. Sorry we can't be there. I doubt we'll be checked out of this place for hours. Doctors like to be thorough. I heard your radio announcement. Nice work, although I'm sure some are going to hate you regardless."

"The Pack will have her back", Sara says.

I say, "Reminds me, I have a tactical thing I want to share once you're out of here. Team meeting this evening perhaps?"

Ayla nods. "I'll set it up."

I didn't miss breakfast, but it was just junk food snacks inside the studio while we planned out the questions and answers, so I'm pretty hungry as we head towards Crystal Hall. As we walk, I look to Sara, "You've been quiet, love. Feeling okay?"

She nods. "Feel like I need to stay close to you and watch over you. Might be a bit irrational, I know you're fine."

"I wasn't, earlier, and your help then was very appreciated", I say. "You might have top drop a bit. Love, I wanted that, it did me good, and for all the pain, I enjoyed being yours so very much. You did a good thing. And I'm absolutely cool with you staying and watching over me too, even if it's just to reassure yourself. I love you."

She pulls me into a hug and we walk into the Crystal Hall together like that. This time, we both head over to the food queue, with me picking, and her bodyguarding, which does prevent several attempts to actively jostle me. I get called "GOO bitch" and "mind rapist". Trying to ignore it, I focus on the food, there's a nice lasagna and fries and some breadcrumb garlic mushrooms, which I can definitely get behind. I get an extra-big portion, and ice cream and fruit for dessert. Food, at least, still likes me. I snicker at the thought, and share it when Sara looks curious as we're walking back to the Pack table.

Paige is still over the other side, so I take the opportunity to explain what we're up to. Untraceable team comms is something they're mostly enthusiastic about. Gypsy being the exception, I figure she doesn't want any deeper links to the group. Being life-rafted if they die, that's something that has them less convinced. "So what you're saying is, you will take a snapshot and then you can make a body that's any of us, on a moments notice?"

I nod to Hippolyta. "It will be me driving initially, but we figure I can move aside and we can re-anchor your soul to the snapshot body, leaving you in sole charge."

"I won't be some necromantic... thing?"

"Literally no more than Petra is", I say. "She got soul-anchored to a new, empty body a very similar way. If she feels like a person to you, that's your answer."

She nods, looking thoughtful. "And I would live forever?"

"Your existing body will age normally", I say. "If you're going to die of age, that will eventually happen. At that point, up to you whether I lifeboat you to a younger snapshot, or you say no, and pass on into whatever afterlife is coming."

"It is a very strange way of living, a new kind of being human", she says. "But, I think, not an urgent problem for any of us. This new comm system, it will be good to use just as comms, while we decide."

I nod. "Yeah, absolutely. Although if you feel it might even be an option for you, I want to take snapshots of all of you as soon as possible. It only takes a few seconds. We can do it straight after this, if you're willing."

"It involves what?"

"Just touching for a second with big me up front."

She nods, and goes back to her food, looking thoughtful.

Just then, there's a loud banging that draws all of our attention. The Headmistress, banging on her table. "Quiet please, everyone!"

We, collectively, shut up.

"Alright, you all heard the radio announcement, or if you didn't, your friends will fill you in. I personally believe this change is for the better, and being here at the epicentre won't do us harm. I know some students and parents do disagree. If you have to leave, or if you want to take time away while you consider other options, please contact admin, and your requests will be approved. If you do leave, your place will be held open until the beginning of Spring term, and you may change your mind and return any time before then."

"As staff, we've discussed the changes that are likely to happen and how to respond to them. Some rules will need to be loosened. Others will not be punitively enforced, while we decide what new loopholes need to be cut, or whether they need to be scrapped outright. We will be relying on your discretion, not to take unreasonable advantage. Believe me, I will know the difference."

That gets everyone's interest. What rules will change?

"We are removing the rule forbidding public displays of affection. That will be replaced with a rule forbidding overtly sexual displays of affection outside or in public. We are also removing the rule against fraternization, in private. However we do require that you avoid distracting, annoying or upsetting your fellow students. It will be your responsibility to proceed with genuine, unforced consent from all concerned, including onlookers and others who share the space. We will be ferociously enforcing this. Pressure, trickery or force will be an extremely quick path to expulsion and criminal charges. Do not test me."

That one gets shocked looks from everybody - even me. I never expected her to go half so far, so fast. Oh my goodness, the school is going to change.

"Pregnancy is a rule we are keeping, but enforcing lightly and with consideration of circumstances. You are all expected to make reasonable efforts to not get pregnant, or make anyone else, or yourself, pregnant. If you do make an effort, this will be taken into consideration should there be an accident. If not, we may come down on you in full force. I will be instructing all the cottages, and the medical center, to provide free contraception of various sorts suited to your individual power sets. Taking advantage of this, and using it properly will be another factor considered. Since I know that not all of you know how, there will be mandatory training classes in their operation. Your adviser will contact you with the class that you've been assigned. Attend, listen, and learn."

I can tolerate that. She's not going to let me and Sara have a free run, yet. Perhaps later. And pregnant me is at least somewhat protected.

"Finally for rule changes, we will be clamping down hard on bigotry. Some students are in same sex relationships or polyamorous ones. This is likely to become evident, and I will not stand for them being singled out or attacked on that basis. Punishments for anything of the sort will be greatly increased, starting immediately."

To which, good, and not before time.

"Last, unrelated, but not least. This shoulder angel foolishness stops now. You are not to wear, own or sell angels depicting anyone but yourself. If you have them, deactivate them immediately, and hand them in to staff at your earliest convenience. You are not to use any shoulder angels, no matter what kind, to antagonize people or start fights. I am about this far", she holds up finger and thumb barely apart, "from banning them outright. Last chance, people. Do not push me, I've had a busy and troublesome day. That will be all, thank you, carry on."


	69. Part 69

# # Part sixty nine

****13th January, 2007, Crystal Hall, lunchtime****

As soon as the Head sits back down, the place is a hubbub.

"Well", says Hippolyta. "No more need for sneaking around. We can just come calling to the front door. Oh hi, Mrs Cantrel. Why am I here? To fuck Sara. Sure, come right on in." Which makes us all laugh. It's impossible to imagine, but I guess those are the rules now.

"Or maybe I can come and visit you in Poe", Sara says. "I'd like that."

Hippolyta looks embarrassed. "I... I would like that also. Although I shall get teased afterward."

I say, "Lot of that going around, I'd imagine. It'll take time for people to get used to the changes."

"Thank goodness I'm in with Hank", Jamie says. "I don't think he's going to have them queueing around the block. Some poor kids just aren't going to get much sleep."

Erin smirks. "I think, a few of the cottages, they're going to have to up the soundproofing between rooms. And bolt the beds to the wall. Squeaky-squeaky-squeak, thud, thud, thud." Which makes everyone break out giggling at the thought.

"Paige over the other side says you'll be the one keeping me up", I relay. "She's wrong though, I won't mind in the least, you go right ahead." Which gets an evil smirk from Sara and an embarrassed cringe from Erin, and laughs from the rest.

It's a fun conversation, as we continue with the banter to and fro, but soon enough I've finished my munchies. "Sara, if you can wait, I need to go talk to Tansy", I say. "Then afterward we can play?"

"You want to go alone?"

I nod. "I want her not to feel like we're ganging up against her, or she'll react from defensiveness and not think. Alone is my best chance."

She nods. "Okay, I'll be there for you if you need me. Come down to my room after."

I grin. "Looking forward to it." She gets a nice slow kiss, and then I have to go. Mmm, it's fun to be able to play a little in public like that.

Dickinson is quite a walk away from Crystal Hall, around behind Kane and Dunn. On my way, I see a few other couples kissing. I guess I've created a bit of a lover's bonanza. I'm really surprised the Head went so far so fast, but perhaps she decided there was no point in fighting the inevitable, and she should build the defensive wall around keeping us all from being knocked up. Will she succeed? Join us for another exciting episode.

Honestly, looking around, I wouldn't lay good odds.

Dickinson is fairly blah as cottages go. This is the non-freaky, girls only one, but I'm sure some of them have to be nice. Even if Tansy, from what I've seen of her, is not. That said, her karma's been catching up to her a bit. Perhaps she'll learn?

Going in, I get looked at. I'm not completely human-looking these days, although you'd be hard pressed to name a particular feature from a distance, except my mouth's a bit wider. In Poe, I don't stick out. In Hawthorne, I'm one of the pretties. Here, I'm a freak.

"Hi, can I help, are you looking for someone?" An older student, she's got darker hair, something about her features hints that maybe she's not all the way white. Native American perhaps? Straight hair cut neatly at shoulder length.

"I'm looking for Tansy Walcutt", I explain. "Do you know where her room is?"

She makes a slight grimace and nods. "Third floor, room 315. Follow the sound of enthusiastic sex. Which is a phrase I never in my life expected to have to say."

"Sorry", I say, because it kind of is my fault.

She takes a second, more careful look at me. "You're Parallel, aren't you? I only saw you across the hall, but the white hair is distinctive."

I nod. "Yeah."

"I'm Pristine. What you did sounds like it was necessary and good, but the side effects are going to take some getting used to."

"Would you believe, for me too?" I say. She nods. "Alright, see you around, and thanks."

As I approach the room, there's no mistaking which one. Squeaky, squeak, indeed. As well as gasps, moans, cries of "yes, there!" and a bass line accompaniment of grunting. Should I just turn around and leave them be? But I get a hunch this will work to my advantage. Okay, I'll chance it. I stride up and knock on the door.

Guy's voice, "Who is it? What do you want?"

"It's Parallel, I'd like to talk to Tansy, is it a bad time?"

"We're fucking, but I consent for you to come in if that doesn't bother you." He sounds amused.

Girl's voice, "Well I don't... ooh, damn it Cody, don't stop, oh all right, come... come on in." Cody, perhaps Kodiak, the big Alpha guy? This is actually close to a best case scenario, I'm sure he's a power behind the throne.

So I do open the door, and let myself in, closing it behind me. Tansy is bent over the bed, completely naked, with her hair loose and pooling around her head, she looks beyond gorgeous. Cody, with his pants down but shirt still on, is balls deep in her from behind. And clearly good at it, from the way she's gripping the bedding.

I pick a spot near the door to sit cross legged. Makes me look less threatening, but also puts me nicely at eye to eye level with Tansy. "So, hi, I wanted to talk to the leadership of the Alphas."

I'm enjoying watching the emotions cross her face. "That's fucking me right here, what of it?" Anger, to mask the fact she's horny as hell - and, if life sense doesn't lie, she got way more horny right after I came in, I'm what she's fixating on. Oh yeah, didn't I read she prefers girls? And guess who's the hot lady in the room, beside herself.

I loosen my collar a little, give her something to enjoy. "Just before lunch, I came from Doyle. The Kimbas got hurt in the sims. No, I'm not dropping any accusations, but we both know I don't need to."

"If, fuck! If the Kim-bitches got hurt, what's it to me? Maybe someone doesn't like them? I sure as fuck don't. Ah!"

"I want the feud to end, it's dangerous to everyone", I say. "What would it take, for you to consider it quits with them?"

"They can come here and get gang-raped in front of me." The glint in her eye shows she would dearly love to watch that.

It's kind of going the way I guessed it would, but perhaps I have more leverage than I expected. "Some of them don't swing that way, all of them are far too private to agree to that. That's your anger talking, but think like an adult. What would satisfy you, that I can take to them and have them agree to it?"

"She's got a point, you know", Cody says, pausing his play, making her squirm ineffectually back against him and whine. "If this keeps escalating, it's trouble all round. Someone might get mad enough to break rules and lash out. This sounds like a serious offer of truce, so perhaps you should take it seriously. What would it take, to feel like enough?"

"Fucking hell Cody, you jerk, quit playing games with me. Okay okay, an apology, all of them, here. I'll take that. Oh yeah that hits the spot, fuck!" Cody gives a victory grin as he starts pushing her towards an orgasm. And she locks eyes with me, she's desperate, I can feel there's a girl inside who just wants to reach out. And I can accept that, accept the orgasm she's pushing towards me as she screams and grits her teeth and scrabbles at handfuls of bedding. Perhaps you can be nice after all, Tansy Walcutt, if you let your heart open up? Good girl, give it all to mama.

When she's panting, collapsed, head down against the bed, I stand, bow respectfully. "Thank you both for your time", and let myself out. Trying to avoid being too obvious about the tent in my jeans.

My feeling is, Tansy isn't long for the leadership, and if I'm not mistaken, Cody is the presumptive heir. Which means my deal, cut with both of them, will hold through any interregnum.

And maybe, with the pressure off, Tansy will have a chance to bloom?

I didn't even have to drop my threat on her.

Dickinson to Hawthorne is about the longest walk on campus, north-east to south-west, cutting right across the bulk of the campus. It gives me time to look at the sky, now turning colours of gold, and the trees. Tomorrow, I think I'll go visit the weres, and that's a nice walk that takes me through the woods. Looking at the clouds, a snow storm might be rolling in overnight. It might be a bit of a slog tomorrow, unless I play Legolas and make myself lighter so I can run over the drifts rather than wading through them. Up north where we are, it will be long icy months until spring. But I wonder what this place looks like when it's green, and buzzing with active life?

Looking at the trees makes me think of the Grove. Would it accept me? It's odd to feel rejection anxiety about a bunch of thousands of years old tree spirits, but I do. I'd like to be liked, by all of nature. As I'm thinking this, my g-sense tracks a number of lines of motion towards me, small, flapping wings, birds? As two of them land on my shoulders, I can confirm, definitely birds. A pink one with grey wings, and a yellowish one with a black head and intensely yellow eyebrows. "Well hi there", I get a feeling of liking back over life sense, as well as curiosity. I hold up my hand and another one lands there, another of the pink kind.

Did I somehow call them? Perhaps just my wanting to be liked was enough, as more birds circle curiously, and hop on and off my hand. Look at me, a regular Disney princess. Perhaps we should all burst into song together? But not right now, charming though they are, I have an appointment with Sara, and she's charming too.

Heading into Hawthorne, I get grins. I think they know exactly what I'm there for. Getting to Sara's room (the runes on the door say, 'look who changed the rules') I head in, and finding her reading on the bed, come over and bounce onto it beside there. "Hey there, beloved."

She puts the book down. "Hey sweetie. Mmm, you're buzzing with power, whose orgasm did you eat?"

Huh. "Uh, Tansy's. I ate it?"

"You did, love. Chomp chomp chomp. She must have given you a good one."

I grin, and show her what happened over the mark. Which makes her roll around snickering uncontrollably, which is absolutely lovely. "Oh you got her good. She'll be dreaming about you all night. I could teach you to walk into those dreams?"

"I figure a wet dream about me is an invitation", I agree with a grin. "Feels like she has potential to open up, if she quits hiding from herself."

"My sweet girl. Always you reach for the good in people."

"Mhm, mhm", I agree, as I reach to tease her through her clothes. "These are good. I like to reach for them."

"No sex for punsters", she teases.

"What about people who say, please may I have lots of lovely sex with you?"

"Those get it."

"Please may I have lots of lovely sex with you, Sara beloved?"

"Yes, you absolutely may."


	70. Part 70

# # Part seventy

The Lovecraft room is full with Kimbas and Pack. Everyone's grabbing beanbags, except Paige, Sara and myself who are sat on the bed. Myself, I'm still happily buzzing from long and very enjoyable sex; it turns out I do have internal erogenous zones too, discovering that feels like being the first person to set foot in a new and wonderful land. But much as I'd like to luxuriate the whole day away playing around, the attack on the Kimbas earlier makes it clear that what I'm about to do is too important to put off. Ayla was a bit surprised when I asked him to get the others together here for the tactical meeting, and said that the Pack would be here too. Now with everyone here, I can see looks ranging from mild impatience to curiosity. The two groups don't really meet much. Hippolyta and Hank are kinda frenemies, sat on opposite sides of the room. But they'll sit still and listen to me and Sara, I think.

Sara rotates the room, and says "Okay, we're private. Jules, you're up."

I give her a smile. "This is a tactical meeting and it's other things too. I've been prototyping a thing with Paige here, a new spell. Sara and Gothmog have checked my working, and we've given it a thorough shake down together, so I feel safe releasing it to all of you. This spell is a communications mesh network. Similar to the kinds of networks you already use if you do team tactics together." As far as I know that's just the Kimbas, but some of the others might be on teams? I haven't asked them.

"This network, if you choose to join it, will mean you will never be out of communication reach, any of you, from the rest of us. It's connected and implemented at the soul level, which means no surface active spell to be dispelled, and it can't be blocked or snooped by anything the humans have. That means, if a situation like the one this morning happens, you can pass word instantly." I look to the Kimbas, who are still a bit pained and stiff looking, it seems healing can only go so fast.

Ayla says, "I'm sure you've worked out some way we won't just be buried in a cacophony of each other's business?"

I nod. "It's group based. There's the underlying linkage mesh, and you can one on one message anyone with direct or indirect linkage to you, but you can also create groups, for example the Kimba tactical team would be a group. You can be in as many groups as you like. The spell should make it obvious which ones you're in, and which ones you're talking on. If you can multithread your attention, you can even talk on more than one at once. We've given a lot of thought to security, Paige is a bit of an expert, so all the obvious things are there. Nobody can push into a group, nor can they be pulled unwillingly into a group. It takes mutual invitation. There's blocklists, there's no-not-disturb mode, there's emergency messages that override it. It should be intuitive."

Jade asks, "How about the J-team, can we be on it separately?"

"Yeah", I says, "It's designed around my weird-ass mindscape, so forking and joining like you do should work just fine. You get separate connections when you're separate. You can also if you like create a self-group that will automatically group up your forks as you make them. And if Jet merges back some day, you'll both inherit each other's links when you become one. Also, Nikki, Erin, your riders can have their own link should they prefer, which means they can join in chat if they'd like, even when they aren't up front. Likewise big me, and big Kellith. You don't need to be in the same universe, so if you want to speak with Gothmog, he's on our mesh already, as are me, Sara, Paige, Petra, and Donna."

"You said we can talk on two at once? How?" Hank asks. "I'm presuming it isn't subvocalizing."

I shake my head. "The interface works like telepathy, except it doesn't leave traces like telepathy, can't be snooped or blocked. You can speak down it, it feels like basically having an extra voice you can use. Depending how your mind works, you may or may not be able to overlay that with saying something completely different with your physical voice, or on other channels. You can also send concepts, sensations, imaginings, emotions down it. You'll have to be careful not to overstep boundaries. It's way more intimate than just audio. Naturally, nothing will get sent unless you're pushing it, so don't worry you'll leak."

"So how do we get it", Ayla says. "Is this something you have to hand out?"

"Nah, see, that's the kicker. It's designed to be viral. Anyone who has it, can give a link to anyone else, provided both parties mutually want it at the soul level. That means you can't be mind dominated or forced into giving links, by the way. But it also means that when we've linked you up, you can go and give links to anyone else you choose. To begin with, it's a tactical secret, I strongly recommend you don't spread it carelessly. Think not just whether you trust the person, but whether you trust them to trust others. Once you give it, you can't take it back, nor stop them handing it on. But yes, I'm sure you can see that means it will eventually spread to all of humanity. Just, keep an initial brake on the rate so we link up the nice and trustworthy people first, if you can?"

Toni's laughing. "Jules, Jules. How many times have you changed the world and it hasn't even been two weeks since you got here? This is going to change everything, you know?"

I smirk. "Haven't even got to the sneaky second function yet."

"Spit it out, then!"

"Alright, so. You know I talked to all of you about lifeboating people into backup bodies. If you've got a link up to me or Sara, we can definitely grab your soul if you die. If there's an indirect linkage, it might be possible, I think so but I'm not sure. So if you want, get a link to us, get me to take a snapshot, and it will become substantially harder to kill you. Jade, I'll snapshot you, but Billie, you'll probably have to lifeboat her if it comes to that. We can go over how afterward. Any of you who objects to this but wants on the grid, get your link off Paige. Nikki and Erin, it should be enough if you've got links to your riders, I think I can pull them along."

Ayla says, "If it turns out you can reach people down indirect links, this is going to change what it means to be human. You'll be able to offer resurrection to basically anybody you have a snapshot of."

"Even without a snapshot, I can make them a body, it just won't be a perfect duplicate of their old one."

"Better yet. So now you're a goddess of resurrection for the whole of humanity?"

"Me, Sara, Gothmog, probably Billie, yes. They can grab, I can make bodies. Even waiting for a body, souls should still be on grid. I acknowledge that bodies are a bit of a bottleneck, but there's lots of me to go around."

Toni whistles. "I feel like I'm seeing the beginning of the second age of humanity. It's that big. Damn."

"For now, please keep that bit secret", I say. "The mesh works fine without people knowing it. It's not harmful to them and none of us is going to unethically grab people who haven't consented. I don't want us attracting the wrong sorts to be the pioneer links." Which gets thoughtful nods.

"Okay, who wants to be linked up? If you want one, me, Sara and Paige are presently consenting to you connecting up. You can link to more than one of us, and you can link to each other. Oh! And before I forget. It's not useful to most of you right now, but the mesh can route IP. Later, I expect we'll work out an interface to that, even for relative baselines like me."

"Who's that for, now?" Toni asks. "I know you, you don't make things without a dozen sneaky-ass reasons."

A nudge to Paige over the mesh, go or no go, your decision?

Go.

I grin. "Meet the new invincible goddess of the internet". And give Paige a kiss.

She nuzzles against me. "If you've heard of Circuit Breaker, it's me. Well, me and my sister, equally. I'm not just a programmer, I'm a cyberpath."

Ayla winces and goes a bit grey. Yeah, he's heard of Circuit Breaker. "My dear God. You realise the government is going to see you as an existential threat? They'll be sorely tempted to launch a nuclear strike."

"Which would neither stop me nor Paige, but would annoy us both", I say. "I hope that argument will convince them not to."

In the end, everyone chooses to link to me and Sara, and get a snapshot taken. Then we have fun sending each other stuff. I show how sensations can go down the wire, by licking the back of my hand and letting them feel it, the taste of salt, soft touch, cool of saliva drying. That gets amusing and weirded out reactions, but soon we're swapping random sensations and thoughts to and fro merrily. I take time to pull Billie aside.

"You up for learning how to catch Jade if she needs you?"

She nods. "I'm finding it hard to care about myself, but for her, I can do it."

So I lead her through the sensations of a soul dive, and then she holds my hand and we go for it together. I can feel her Star Stalker self watching with curiosity. There's a hint of predator watching prey there, she recognises me as the kind of creature she was made to destroy, but a friendly one. Still, even if the cat likes the mouse, it's still going to have feelings about smallness and squeakiness. We reach the soul level, and I point out the link stretching across to Jade. She's just amazed at the hugeness of everyone here, but goes over and gives Jade's soul a hug. It's sweet. I point out the upward lines to the physical. "If those get cut, you need to grab her and hold on. Then bring her to me, I'll make a body, you run new lines up to it. Sara's been showing me how she anchored Petra down, so I'll be able to give you more hands-on help with the last bit."

She nods. "Thanks Jules. It's really a weight off my heart, knowing we can protect Jade like this. You know, I've had dreams where she died, and I just completely lost it? I tore the whole world up. No survivors."

I send her comfort and understanding, as we're returning back to the surface level. "Yeah, I get that. I fear for Sara, I fear for Paige... It's why I'm rushing around making ways to save people. If any of them died and couldn't be saved, I think I'd go berserk too. But I think we have things in hand, together, now."

"You're a good friend", she says. And then we're back at the surface, watching the others play. Jade's got her eyes on us.

"Oneesan, was that you?" she asks. "It felt like you gave me a hug, but strange."

Billie goes over and explains, and I'm smiling to see her coming back out of her shell a bit.

I lie back on the bed, feeling like we did a good thing today, but there's a nudge and Ayla sends me speech over the links, "Jules, can I pull you aside and talk for a moment?"

I send agreement. "Sure, want to walk together?"

So we head towards Poe, keeping our conversation to the link so we won't be overheard.

"Jules, I'm not so stupid I can't follow where you're going, you've been pretty much frantically building power. You gave Billie something for which she'll feel indebted to you for life. You gave Paige immortality and free run of the internet. You've been sweet talking the Head. I hear rumours you're making lightsabers and begging the martial arts teachers for training. And there's all the changes you've made to yourself, they all make you much more powerful and effectively impossible to kill. It feels like you're building up to war. With who?"

I nod. "With the government, mostly. I hope to avoid war. But the way to avoid it is to become strong enough they feel that they have to come to the table. Otherwise they'll try and steamroller me. But that's part of the larger GOO war. He who I'm not gonna name owns most of them, directly or otherwise."

"Even over the link, you won't name him?"

"Soul level comms is isolated from beings who can't operate at soul level."

"Ah. Which GOOs are not."


	71. Part 71

# # Part seventy one

We're sat in Ayla's room, with the coffee machine burbling away happily.

"So why build a comms network the enemy can tap", Ayla asks.

"I'm not so sure he can, it's just not out of his reach", I say. "We encrypted it, of course. But a name is too much of a powerful connection to risk it, certainly if spoken by me. And I wouldn't trust encryption against him. He might break the codes, or he might skip the effort and tap straight into the brains hearing it. Our new comms gives us an advantage we didn't have, but it's not a get-out-of-caution-free card."

He nods. "And it should be good against human interference at least."

"Should be, yeah", I lean back in the desk chair I'm borrowing. "Again, caution is warranted, there's humans, like Nikki or Circe, that I wouldn't be so sure of. But it's less likely to be snooped or blocked than the spots. I think in particular, the human governments are stuffed."

He hands me a cup of delicious smelling coffee. "I get the feeling you don't like them."

I sip, it's as nice as it smells. "Mhm. Don't trust them. Think they're authoritarian steamrollering asses, and jealous of their power. They hurt Paige and tried to capture and own her, they tried to snipe me, they're not high on my buddies list. Plus of course, the big bad nuisance basically owns them."

"Isn't that a bit cynical?"

"By which you mean paranoid? Nah. Look, you remember how I said I'm not from around here, right?" He nods. "The world I come from has similar governments and does still have authoritarianism and bigotry, but it's way worse over here. And one of the reasons, I'm convinced, is because ol' fishface has his tentacles in things. Not all politicians, but enough, dug in and influential. Not all pushing the agenda, some of them just drag their feet and play dog-in-the-manger for anyone who might improve things. I'm not ruling out his influence in my old world either, but if so it's way more indirect. Here, it's near overt if you're looking. And because the government is top down, it infects every level. So they aren't safe to trust."

"What do you think of the Goodkinds?"

I look at him, thoughtfully. "That's not a non-sequitur, is it? You're thinking I'm going to say the same thing about them?" He nods again. "Yes and no. Complicated. I see you, I see somebody who learned nobility, and not from hypocrites. You see it too, I think. There's an unresolved tension. Why would good people do evil?"

He sighs, sets the coffee down, nods. "I find myself caught between making excuses for it and being appalled, and thinking some stuff is justified still, but then being unsure whether I'm making excuses for that too", he says. "You're right. It's really frustrating, I want to trust the ideals I was taught, but I can't."

"My suspicion is that most of the Goodkinds are like you. Caught between their heads and their hearts, trying to live up to the ideal but also wanting to trust those feeding them poison, struggling to square the two and perhaps, defensive against accusations because of it. But I also suspect that one or two, very high ranking, are suborned somehow. Bought, blackmailed, brainwashed, or cultists."

He grimaces at the thought. "That would mean one of them has to be father. And others, he couldn't do it alone, but he sets the tone. Ugh. That's horrifying."

I feel tempted to come over and give him a hug, but I feel he wouldn't like that, so I nod and say, "I'm sorry. If it's any consolation, if we win this war, it should cut the influence off at the roots." Not that I'm sure whether that would give Ayla back his dad, or drop him like a puppet with snipped strings.

"I get the feeling you don't know how you're gonna do that", he says.

"Sara's the one with the plans", I agree. "She hasn't told me details, and I trust her to have a reason for that. So I'm just doing my own thing, but I figure she'll nudge me if I'm not headed in the right direction."

Ayla puts two and two together. "You think he can tap your head? I thought that was out of the question?"

"For humans it is", I say. "Sara goes right on in there, without the least trouble."

"Ah."

There's a pause while we sip coffee.

"This is frustrating", he says. "I can't see a next move in the game. I want to get up and do something about it, but it's not as if I can call up father and ask him, are you being mind controlled?"

"As things stand, it feels like the opening in Go", I say. "Mostly making potential territory, trying to lay down a light framework that controls more space than it occupies. While being ready to turn any invasion into more consolidated structure. It's too early to start big fights."

He nods. "Not really my game, but I respect it. And yeah. So you think just keep doing what we're doing?"

"Grow, get strong, build alliances and networks. If you see an opening, take it. If they attack, turn it against them."

He nods to that.

Our conversation is interrupted by a knock on the door. Unexpectedly, it's Mrs Horton. "Afternoon, girls. I'm just passing around the word that we'll be having a whole cottage meeting in the dance hall tonight, after dinner. Tell the others, if you could? And keep it quiet. This is a meeting I don't want advertised outside Poe."

I ask, "What's it about, if you can say?"

"The Poe secret", she says. "I listened to your interview, and I've spoken to the Head about things. I'm sorry about how I confronted you this morning. But what you did is definitely going to affect us, given you're living right here. Can we even keep the secret? Should we? That's what I need to talk to everyone about, because ultimately it's a secret meant to protect you all."

"If we out Poe, we out everyone in Poe", Ayla says, not sounding happy about it. "Including the ones who don't want it. Collecting everyone in one place means that just living here is proof, once the rest of the school knows."

Mrs Horton nods. "That was always the risk, it's why I've been so ferocious about keeping the secret. But the other side is, if we don't, how long until it gets so obvious that we're outed by implication? Choosing to drop the secret means we can control the narrative. Choosing to do it now, means we get to hide it a bit in the noise from the other changes."

Ayla nods and sighs, "That's not going to be an easy choice for anyone, let alone everyone, if you want a consensus."

"No, it won't be. I don't expect the discussion to be resolved tonight, only started."

She leaves to continue telling people in their rooms, and Ayla passes the word to the other Poe folks over the links. As for me, I stay passive in that conversation, feeling like I'm the cause of it. I head back out, and over to my room so I can consider what to do next.

Sara was able to get Donna and Petra linked remotely, by talking to them over the mark, and then they just had to want it while Sara was wanting to give it, even despite being far away. It does make me wonder what the bounds of that would be. Could a wholly disconnected soul be linked up? They'd have to know, in order to want it. Probably means they'd have to be hanging around. If so, maybe... well, if it's possible, and I'm not going to get anyone's hopes up until I'm pretty sure, but perhaps I could make Caitlin very happy indeed? And I would like doing that.

How to figure that out, though? And would there be risks and implications?

I think I'll approach Circe, trust her with the secret of the links, and then see what she says. Thinking that, I mail off a request to meet.

Hmm, downside, making the offer reveals how much I know about Caitlin. Even implying it might be meant for her, reveals it.

Maybe I need to tell her what I know?

Reaching a decision to do that, I jump myself over to Hawthorne. Finding her room, I knock.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"It's Jules, have you got a few minutes?"

"Sure, come on in. Pardon the spooky decor."

I'm reminded of the Lovecraft room, except this one is just ordinarily physical. It's covered in power regulation and damping glyphs. I grab a spot to sit.

"Spooky is fine by me", I grin. "So. I've got stuff I need to tell you about. It needs a secured place though, I don't want to be snooped. Is this room good?"

She nods. "No magic and no tech in here that I don't know about."

I nod. "So. I need to tell you some information about me, that pertains to you. It's gonna sound weird-ass crazy, but believe me, it's weirder when you're living it. As for my reasons for telling you, I need to keep those quiet for now, except the one where now we're on a first name basis and I wouldn't be some stranger come out of the blue to spin a tall tale."

She looks at me curiously. "So spit it out already, you're making me worried."

"You should be a little. So. Begin with, I'm not from around here. You know I came to the school, just under two weeks ago?"

She nods. "General knowledge by now, yeah."

"Not so general knowledge, I didn't come from this universe. Or even one with a close timeline. Universe I came from, there are no mutants. How I mutated there and got here, I'm stuck for answers on that. Not very important either."

"Fair enough. And it sounds like you're close to reaching the point?" Sarcasm, thy name is Caitlin.

"Yeah. Where I came from, and believe it or not, it's as true as me sitting here, Whateley is fiction. Somehow, those stories and this timeline match one to one, as far as I've been able to tell. That's a secret, by the way, for a number of good reasons. I only read part of the way in before I was dragged across. There's hundreds of stories. But for example, I read about Sara before I ever met her, I read about the Kimbas before I ever met them. I read about Outcast Corner..."

She cuts across, "And you read about me."

"Yeah. Sorry. I had no idea I was being intrusive at the time, it was fiction."

"How much?"

"I know about Dragonslayers, I know about Halloween, I know about the artificer, and I know about Darwin."

"So basically my entire life history is there to be read?" Teeth gritted, and arcs of energy starting to form around her.

"And a bunch of other people's, which is one reason why I need to keep the existence of that universe a deadly secret. They've got zero protection against even a low level supervillain, and there's classified secrets and personal secrets out the wazoo."

She gets up and starts pacing. "Could you have told me earlier... no, I suppose you couldn't. Didn't know me. Who else knows?"

"The Head knows that I read, but no further details. The Kimbas and the Pack and a couple people ARC know that I read about them specifically. They don't know who else I read about. Sara knows the whole thing. She had to guard that knowledge before I built up enough mind protection not to get it stolen."

She nods. "Her, I can trust, I think. So when you become friends with someone, you're telling them?"

I shake my head. "When and if it becomes vitally important. Either I know trouble that's coming, because I read ahead of the present point in the timeline, or when I need to do or tell them something that makes it clear I know stuff I shouldn't. In this case, the latter. I feel like if it isn't important, I can just suck up my worries about being on an unequal footing."

"I can respect that", she says, and sighs. "It bothers me, it's going to make things weird between us, and I need to warn you that you'll be in breach of a whole shitload of laws if you spread details of my past around."

I nod. "I have literally no reason to, and don't want to."

"And what's the thing you need to do, or tell me?"

"Not ready yet. Give me a bit to make other enquiries. I promise I'll get back to you as soon as I'm sure."

She nods.


	72. Part 72

# # Part seventy two

For the moment, I'm pretty much at a loose end. I can't act on Caitlin until I can talk to Circe. What else? Oh yeah, Tansy's offer.

I head outside to get some air and catch the last of the sun before it sets, and meanwhile, on the links, I say "Hey Kimbas, got a moment?" Which gets various replies of "Sure" and "A moment... okay, what have you got for us?"

I say, "So I went and had a word with Tansy, just after lunch, to ask her to end the feud. Forgot to mention that when we were talking about links, but they're the ideal way to discuss it, now."

Toni says, "Enough with boasting about your new toy, so, what did she give you? Besides the run-around."

"Well, a nice show for one thing. When I got there, her and Cody were, um, already taking advantage of the new rules."

That gets various snickers and laughs. Toni says, "Seriously? And she didn't tell you to get lost?"

"She tried. Cody told her to let me in, if she wanted to get any more of what she was getting. And she did want, so I got to watch. Turns out that's an effective way to negotiate. Also very enjoyable."

Various laughs and blushes, Nikki sends the feeling of a frown.

Jade says, "After what she did with Jinn, she deserves it, I don't have sympathy for her. What did you get?"

"Well, first up I got vengeful bullshit. But then I asked her to think again like an adult, and Cody backed me, so she had to. She'll accept an apology from all of you, in person in her room, as enough to end it."

Ayla says, "That's more than I expected her to concede. And in Cody's presence, so she can't back down without losing face. Good work."

Toni sounds angry, "You aren't seriously suggesting we come grovelling to her? She started it, she's the damn problem here."

Ayla says, "This isn't some sort of judgement about who's right, it's about ending a stupid back-and-forth war that benefits nobody. You know her, there's no way she'll buy it without feeling she's come out ahead. Otherwise she'd want to get the last word in, and the feud would still be on. An apology hurts nothing but our dignity."

Nikki says, "Jade, Billie, what do you think? Because you're the ones she's hurt the worst."

There's a pause, then Billie says, "If it means I don't have to hurt her, or someone else they send against us, I'm in. I'm done hurting people if I can help it."

Jade says, "If it's good for oneesan, it's good for me. Saying sorry doesn't mean we like her. It just means we're willing to take one unfair hit to end the fight. Only stupid people would count that as losing. She will, Cody won't. It could look good on our record, make us look better next time we're stood in front of the Head. And if she starts it again, it will be clear who's at fault."

Which doesn't leave Toni much choice, "Damn it, alright, if it's what you want, I'll go along with it, but I won't like it."

Hank says, "I'll call her and make arrangements. Thanks, Jules."

"Friends look out for friends", I say. "Besides, she was damn hot like that. That alone pays me in full. I wonder if she's game for a rematch?"

That gets giggles from all of them, and "Ew, do not stick it in crazy", from Toni.

"I get the feeling there's something under there, although it make take digging", I say. "Don't write her off entirely."

"Good luck with that", Jade says. "She will definitely want you, but wild horses wouldn't drag it out of her. Same goes for any good side she might have."

"Influence might", Nikki says. "I get the feeling it's going to make staying in the closet hard."

"Yeah, you might be right", Jade concedes. "That comes with its own heap of trouble I'm not looking forward to, though."

That gets agreement from all of them.

Outside, the low sun is casting shadows sideways through the forest. I've made myself light enough that I can run on top of the snowdrifts rather than sinking in, and that makes getting around much easier. Despite the thickness of the trees, I don't have to fear getting lost. So I can just run, and enjoy the beauty. Pine and spruce tower over me, like the cover of a De Lint book. I could imagine the forest is full of manitou and spirits and little mysteries. Perhaps it is, I haven't learned to see on that frequency yet. In my old life, I saw myself as a witch, of the animistic sort. Here, that hasn't been my focus, but maybe I should pick it back up? Certainly I ought to say hello, properly.

I stretch my life sense as wide as it will go, big me joining in a bit, I find I can cover right back out to the edge of the school, hundreds of millions of lives, birds high above, trees and the things in them, ground plants, animals, burrowing things, little sparks going deep, deep down into the cracks and voids of rock beneath me. The place feels like a song. It feels like I could sing along with it - and so I do. Dancing light on the snow, whirling between trees, singing the words that come to me, names and relationships and feelings and underlying it all, love. The life of the place, expressing itself. I leap stone-to-stone across a brook, water still freely running despite the cold. I can feel the trees, stone, water, listening. With life sense I can see the animals converging, birds whirling and following me. As I reach a clearing, they come out from the trees, surrounding me, and I sing to them, their names, their natures, their fascination and curiosity. And the birdsong becomes part of the song as they land on me. Yes, hello, I see you all, I love you all. There's deer and skunks and foxes, a porcupine, a black bear. I can feel in their life-patterns that all of them are friendly, so I let them sniff me, and I pet them. Bear fur is extremely deep and soft. It's lovely.

When I come to the end of my song, they turn and wander away, I get the feeling they won't attack each other either for a bit. Mmm, and now I feel I was properly introduced. Hello, forest.

The light starts to go from golden to dim, and it's time to be heading back. An easy, enjoyable run, playing speed games, leaping over obstacles and using trees to redirect my momentum. I come out of the shadows under the trees and into the half-lit campus lawns, with the last glow of salmon light from high clouds reflecting off them.

Does the school have a song too? I should probably be careful singing that one, it would draw attention, I feel.

"Jules, was that you?", Nikki, over the links. "Were you doing something in the forest just now? Because it kind of felt like you."

Speaking of drawing attention. "Uh, yeah, I was singing to it. Why?"

"Because you were just blasting out absolutely vast amounts of essence is why. I'm over in the magic department, they're sending a delegation your way, I'm coming with them, stay put where you are."

A couple minutes later, I see three figures making their way over. Nikki, Circe, and a larger woman who seems to be covered in plants. Mrs Chulkris? From what I remember reading, she's a magic teacher, but I don't know much else.

Once they're in voice distance, I say, "Is everything okay? Only I presume the reason you didn't want me to come to you is because you weren't sure I was safe."

"Everything is... unusual", Circe says. "Thank you for doing as you were asked. I do not see any harm, exactly, in the situation. But you are still pouring essence out like a fountain, and there is a... mantle of power on you."

Nikki says, "You feel like the forest and every living thing in it. That's what's pouring off you, and it's a small thing compared to what it was ten minutes ago. The whole forest behind you is lit up like a bonfire."

"Hopefully not in a bad way?"

"Oh absolutely not. It's like it got more solidly itself. It makes me want to run into it and luxuriate. How on earth did you do it?"

I look to the others, "Do you want a demonstration?"

That gets the three of them to look at each other. Circe says, "carefully, please".

How do I sing and be careful? I suppose don't choose something too large, like the whole school. Stretching my life sense lets me tune in to this place, and the people too. Should I sing about them? But that might be intrusive. How about the place? I suppose I've passed over the school lawns a lot without thinking too much about them, but what are they really? And my curiosity tunes me in to the smaller, quieter song of the lawn, and I can sing it. Quiet waiting of grass under snow, seed's rest, small lives burrowing, the tracks of birds, snow-melt and flowers, the buzz of bees, birds and squirrels dancing and foraging, children at play. I feel the ground reach out to me, and I crouch, putting my hands against it, unworried by the snow's cold, it purrs against me like a cat. Song finished, I look up at the three mages. "Like that."

Nikki's crying. She crouches too, and puts her own hands against the ground. "I can feel it loving us. That makes no sense at all." She shivers.

Mrs Chulkris says, "Alright, I think we should all head indoors. It's not going to get any warmer out here, and I don't think we'll be bringing any danger home with us."

Circe nods, which seems to settle the matter, and we head towards Kirby Hall. Thankfully, it's not far to there, going north-east from where we are. Nikki casts a warmth spell on herself, and seems less shivery. They're all quiet. As we walk, I can feel the subtle shift in Nikki's body language that says Aunghadhail has come forward.

"I have seen something like this before, but it was long ago, even by my standards, before the Sundering, when the world was very young. The daughters of Gaia walked the world, creating things with joyful songs. But not in that language. I have never before heard that used with love."

I say, "The first time I ever heard it, was sung, as a lullaby."

"It seems you are re-making it into something new. And I find interesting also, that which you created is what was already there. But seen anew, and with love. The same pattern."

There's a pause, then Circe asks, "The daughters of Gaia were great powers. Beyond many gods. Are you saying she is like them?"

"She is new to me. I hesitate to advise when I have no similar experience. Maybe on the way to becoming one such, that is the most I can say."

"Which is no small thing in itself", Circe says. We head indoors, and through the entrance to the secret area, making for what seems to be a teachers' lounge.

A couple other people are there. Ms Grimes, who I know, and another woman I haven't met, blonde with very long hair. She's the one who says, "Well if it isn't the three witches. And I take it, you're our anomaly?"

I bow and say, "at your service", which makes her laugh. "I'm Jules, codename Parallel. And evidently, a mite unusual. Anomaly probably wouldn't be stretching it too terribly far."

Nikki - she's back now - bops me on the head lightly. "Idiot. Grab a seat. We need to talk."


	73. Part 73

# # Part seventy three

Of course, I do grab a seat, there's a nice comfy sofa. All in all a friendly place, this teachers' lounge.

Nikki says, "Alright, introductions. Circe, Mrs Chulkris, Doctor Tenent, Ms Grimes." I smile a greeting at each. She continues, "I was just here to talk about homework, but we all felt what you were up to. And the fact that Aunghadhail has seen something like it before suggests I should stay."

Circe nods. And turning to the other two teachers, "We spoke on the journey back, the Queen of the West said she has seen similar things before, when the daughters of Gaia went around creating life."

Ms Grimes looks at me. "I have her in my Necromancy class. She's never shown signs of being one of the great powers."

"Was she singing at the time?", Circe asks. "I've noticed a tendency to sing her magic."

Which, I hadn't thought about it, but I do, when it's big stuff.

Ms Grimes shakes her head. Circe continues, "We've spoken about Majestic. That was her, too. As was the life creation spell the same day, in fact, at the same time."

Okay, that's a scary look to get from a teacher. Fear and a bit of awe. I don't understand, I really didn't do much to Majestic.

Doctor Tenent, the blonde one, sees my confusion and explains, "When you fought her, you batted aside her spells, am I right?" I nod. "If I were going to do that, it would take a working each time, and June is no weak caster, they would probably have to be specialized to the spell I was dispelling. It would drain my store of essence and be work. For you, it didn't seem to tire you any more than batting aside a ball." Which I suppose was fair. I nod again, and say "yeah, I just felt them and swatted. To be fair, big me was somewhat forward at the time."

Circe says, "Against Miss Summers, I would have a fight. Not a long fight, and I would win, but she has a lot of essence at her hands, and some nasty spells prepared."

"I was fighting her!"

"And two of the others. And not seriously. When Miss Wynguard was threatened and you chose to take it seriously, you ended the fight in the space of two breaths."

Which I suppose is fair. "It's a trade-off, using high power sorcery messes the place up. But when I had to, I did, yeah."

Nikki laughs, "Messed up, she says. That place was crawling like some elder thing's dungeon dimension. You ripped it a good one, Jules."

"How much of your power did you use?", Doctor Tenent asks.

"Eh, what I felt was enough", I say. "I couldn't spare time to do the thing subtly, but I could have gone much harder if I didn't mind leaving worse messes. But it would have been overkill."

"It was already overkill", says Circe. "She had a strong, well worked anti-magic ward up on herself and the others. It would have taken me perhaps fifteen seconds of uninterrupted concentration to take it down. For most mages, far longer, and it would be at best a quick, subtle job of unweaving and counter-magic, but you didn't do that, did you?"

I shake my head. "I just tore into it."

"Without a thought about its construction, without untying it, you ripped through the knot of the spell in one crude swipe. It's clear you don't realise it, but you used more raw magical force than the average mage student sees in a year. And you could have gone much harder. That is not the level of power one sees from human mages. Nor is blanketing a ten mile radius with a freshly created lifeform that you designed on the fly."

I look down at my feet. "I guess, I'm not so human. Which is what I signed up for, but now I'm scaring people, aren't I?"

Nikki plomps on to the sofa next to me and puts an arm around me. "Well you aren't scaring me. People fear power, I know that, but really what you need to do is use it responsibly. Which you have been doing." She gives a bit of a glare at Ms Grimes, who's looking at me like I turned into something nasty.

Trying to ignore that, I smile and accept the hug, "Yeah, I've been trying to. I hope the thing I did today wasn't bad? Because it felt good, joyful and loving, absolutely the opposite of harm."

Mrs Chulkris says, "Having seen it in person, dear, I can't possibly imagine it's anything harmful. But it is new, and powerful, and like nothing we've seen before. And it will certainly change the ecology of essence around here. While you were doing it, for every mage student on campus, it was as if the sky were raining soup and they had only to set out a bucket. Even now, that forest is absolutely ringing with magic, I wouldn't be surprised if we had some magical ecology awakening from very long slumber. Grimes, I think your three little nuisances probably got everything they wished for and more."

"Oh Goddess help us all", Ms Grimes is evidently not in favour of that.

Mrs Chulkris continues, "I wouldn't advise you to stop. But I would advise you to think carefully about what you are amplifying. Is it a good thing? Does it need and would it benefit from being absolutely drenched in power, and made into itself, only much more so?"

I say, "I was thinking of singing for the school. The whole school, that is." Which gets shudders from all four staff.

Circe says, "Not except in an emergency, please. Pieces of it, perhaps. Doing the whole thing... there might be consequences and complications I can't begin to fathom."

I nod, sadly, because I'm sure the school's song would be beyond lovely.

"Alright", says Circe. "I think that is enough for now. You emailed wanting to see me, would that be in private?" I nod. "Very well. If you all will excuse us?" That gets nods from the others, and I stand and head for the door with Circe, who leads us towards her private study.

As we walk, she says "Don't mind Ms Grimes. She has had her idea of you changed suddenly. She will adapt to it, I am sure."

"I hope so, or it will make class awkward", I say.

Which makes her chuckle as we head into her room. "I am afraid you will have to get used to awkward. I say that from experience. Very well, we are inside my domain, and we are not overheard. What was it you were wanting to speak about?"

So I explain about the links, and how I made them, and how they're still a secret because I want them to establish through the nicest people first. And I explain how they can establish between people if both want them at the soul level. And then we get to the kicker. "So what I was thinking is, if a soul is hanging around, like, watching their former love, if they can be told, if both sides reach out, perhaps we could even link in someone who was no longer alive. And then with the link, I could lifeboat them to a new body." And then I have to explain lifeboating, and how I can snapshot someone, or custom make a body in the absence of a snapshot, and move myself out of it, and them in.

Circe laughs. "And to think that Grimes has been complaining about you backing necromancy, in class, in abstract. Here you are proposing to completely erase death. And I get the feeling it isn't abstract at all."

"Someone's secret is bound up in it, I can't blab."

She looks thoughtfully. "Your peer group, a lost love, and a secret. Hmm. Halloween and Cat?" A clever bit of word games if I ever heard one.

"Sparks", I reply.

"Guns", she counters.

I nod. "Caitlin. Yes. I wasn't sure if you knew."

"Many of the staff do, dear, she hides it poorly. And you want to bring Cat back for her. Why?"

"Um, I like her and she's sad, it's reason enough."

She laughs again. "Such a clear hearted reason. Why did you want to tell me?"

"I need supervision. And advice, if I'd be doing anything terribly destructive or wrong."

"Grimes would say so. But I do not. Yes, I will supervise you, at a price."

"Let me guess, you want a link?"

She grins. "I am very curious, and I can see uses for it. Yes, that would be my price."

"Reach out for it", I say, and push it towards her. And feel it establish. I say down the link, "And there you are."

She says down it, "Here I am, indeed. Very well, when you are ready, you will be able to reach me, will you not?"

I send agreement, and a grin, which gets her looking curious. "Well. This is most certainly an interesting piece of work."

"I shall leave you to study it at your leisure", I say.

Which leaves the hard job of breaking the news to Caitlin. Unfortunately, time's not really on my side here, I may have to do it tomorrow, because we're coming up on dinner, and then it's the Poe meeting, and I don't expect that to go quickly. But I suppose I can give her a link today, and that will be a start.

I knock on her door.

"Yeah, who is it?"

"Jules."

"Sure, come in."

I do. "So, the thing I wanted to tell you. I can't do the whole of it now, no time, but I can give you a piece, and the piece will help tomorrow when I hope we'll both have time for it."

She sighs. "I'm sure this run-around has a good reason. Spit it out."

So for the second time this afternoon I go through the links, although without emphasizing the soul side too strongly. And after some thought, she reaches out and connects in.

"So this is it for now, then, a fancy-ass magical walkie-talkie?"

"Trust me, it's much more, but not yet. We need time, space and privacy. And I'm gonna get dragged off after dinner, so that leaves us without enough of either today. But it means I'll be able to check in with you tomorrow morning without chasing you down across campus."

"Sure, alright. The wait is pissing me off, but I've waited for things before. Just don't take any longer than you've gotta."

I nod.

I feel like I've done the things I need to for now, and can give myself a few minutes to go over to Sara's room and see if she's in.

Oops, she is in, with Erin. "Hello dear, come in, you don't mind do you sweetie?"

Erin looks a bit embarrassed but says "It's okay, you can come in, but shut the door please." So I do.

"So nice not to have to sneak around any more", Sara says. And looking at me. "You're positively radiating forest energy, dear. So that was you then? You got Erin here quite worked up." And indeed, Erin's reacting to my presence I think, she's arching herself up towards Sara, who bends over and continues her teasing tongue play.

"Um, really, I didn't know", I say. Then to Erin, "You're kind of a forest animal, I suppose?"

Sara pauses, making Erin whine, and says, "She begged me, in public. She was desperate to be touched. It was absolutely delightful." Erin whines harder, and Sara returns to her tonguing task.

I smirk, and grab a beanbag to watch and rest. "I'll have to see if I can't bring you some more of that, when you'd like. I've had an interesting day."

Sara grins but doesn't reply, I know she can tell the time as precisely as I can, she's deliberately driving Erin up towards her climax. And Erin arches, and pops claws to tear into the bed, and yowls like a cat, and I can feel the room flood with her ecstasy, and I take a little portion for myself, and I see Sara did too. Immediately, I feel perked up. Well, well. Eating orgasms, hmm?

And then, with Erin gasping, spent, the bell goes for dinner.


	74. Part 74

# # Part seventy four

****13th January, 2007, Sara's room, dinnertime****

Sara and I together help Erin back into her clothes, since she's still a bit wobbly, and Sara teasingly insists on carrying her in her arms into the Crystal Hall, making her blush bright red. Technically not an overtly sexual PDA, heh. I go for the usual split, one to the Kimbas to check up how they're doing, one with the Pack, one to get food.

The Kimbas are still a bit achy and stiff after having been healed from the morning's nightmare. Billie's quiet, so I give her a hug. "Hey Jules, thanks", she says, and sighs. "I just can't help thinking how much worse it could have been."

I sit down beside her and other me delivers the tray. "How so?"

"He went easy on me, as soon as he realised what they were doing to me. Even though he still wanted me to kill him, he held them back. That saved me a lot of pain, but it makes me wonder how much I haven't confronted."

"Probably lots", I say, figuring she needs honesty here. "Like, that part of you is really old, and basically went around the galaxy being other people's weapon for centuries. There's nothing to be gained from trying to drink that firehose."

"Really, really old", she agrees. "It's broken loose a few things, I have an idea how long it was... millions of years. More."

"Time is just time", I say. "Don't let it overawe you. Several of us in this room will live that long, more if I have a hand in it. Some of us already did in a certain sense, in one way Sara probably matches you for age. Aung doesn't, but she's old enough. Chou's Tao probably is the universe, let alone being as old as it."

Chou complains, "It's hardly mine, Jules. I'm not sure time even applies."

I nod. "Anyhow. See time as a stage in which things happen. Lots of time means lots happened. Some will be worth looking at, some you are gonna have to draw a line under and say, I don't like it, it wasn't me, and I'm not going back to look at it."

Billie nods, "I'll try."

Chou says, "Oh before I forget, Jules, we're doing a tea party, tomorrow morning, and I think you should be invited."

I grin. "Thanks. That sounds nice. Formal dress?"

She shakes her head. "Casual, but harmonious, if you can?"

"Got it, no ratty rude shirts with holes in", I say. Which makes her giggle. And makes me think, I should get more options. No time to visit Cecilia, but I can visit the store? Perhaps after this, while Poe has the meeting.

Over on the other table, Paige is telling us that she's gone to Ms Hartford and talked through her situation, and her desire to get a meeting together with all affected parties and decide what to do, since it affects the school. That went surprisingly well, although she's still resisting including me and Sara. Ms Hartford agrees with our tactical analysis, they know who Paige is, which means they'll react. And she's not prepared to toss her protege to the wolves, which means that the school is going to have to take a position. She's going to get something together tomorrow. We're probably going to have to situate it in Gothmog's place, since it would be wildly unsafe for Petra to try and cross a border. I wonder how she'll take that? She's probably still assuming we'll use Skype. Heh.

On both tables, there's an undercurrent of talk about the Poe meeting. Some of it over the links, not trusted to voice. Nobody pushing a view. Everyone tentative. It feels like everyone's worried. There's no easy answer here, not even carrying on unchanged.

Personally I think the secret was... mistaken, if understandable. And that it has now grown too large to defuse without pain. Which means we're going to have to work together to turn that pain aside. I can't see any way to keep it. There's a really short line from "oh hey an unusual heap of people in Poe are gay" and "could it be that everyone in Poe is gay", and then investigating that will tear the lid right off. There are a lot of geniuses here, and not all of them are nice.

Looking around, at least the rest of them seem distracted by the new rules, a lot of them are registering on my life sense as having recently put them to use. Lots of satisfied faces, heh. And shoulder angels, with the amusingly antagonistic ones banned, seem to be falling out of fashion. At least we avoided all being dragged into an assembly and yelled at, or something.

Food finished, I send my Kimba copy off to the store, while the Pack copy heads along with Erin, Jamie and Hippolyta towards Poe. I see Sara with an arm around both Paige and Jet, and a grin on her face that promises them much fun. Good for them, at least. I can't say I'm looking forward to my own evening, this promises to be grim business.

When we get to Poe, everyone's headed into the ground floor level. It turns out the "dance hall" is just the regular workout room, with the oversized machines and foam mats dragged into storage. It smells a little sweaty, but it's big enough to hold everyone. Mrs Horton is on the door doing head count. With everyone here, she leaves briefly, then returns. "Alright, quiet down. I've closed the outside doors and set the wards, and for the moment, Poe is on lockdown. Please pay attention, and if the alarm sounds then this discussion needs to stop immediately. But I do not expect that will happen."

She closes the dance hall doors too. "I've spoken to many of you individually, others were told by friends, so to make sure nobody has a distorted idea of what's going on, I'm going to spell it out again. Then we will have a period of question and answers, then an open discussion. As we discuss, I will be going around gathering an understanding of people's feelings and preferences. I won't be taking a vote, because that might leave a minority stranded by the choice of the majority. I hope we can converge on an answer. That is going to require addressing the feelings and needs of all of us, even the awkward ones. It may not end tonight."

She takes a breath and launches in. "The Poe secret was created when this school was founded. The decision was taken to hide away those with complicated sexualities, or with mutations affecting their gender. It's arguable whether it was done to protect us or protect others from us, but in practise it has protected us. It has also given us a place, together, where we do not have to hide. I include myself in this because although most of you will have had no occasion to encounter it, I am myself bisexual."

That starts a bit of murmuring around the room.

"Hush, please. You all heard on the radio this morning, the circumstances behind this meeting. It seems it's likely that going forward we'll find it hard to hide our attractions and loves." She glances at me to check that, and I nod. "The new rules, fun as they may be for some, don't make that any easier. If others are open, why are we private? And the risk we face is an escalating series of scandals and leaks, ending in a situation where the whole cottage is outed, and not at a time or manner of our choosing. But, that is not certain. It is possible, if unlikely, that putting the issue off and continuing as we are might still work. The secret might be kept. It could continue to protect us as it has."

"Set against that, is the fact that the Poe secret is a lie. It lets the other students feel their prejudices are normal. It hides away the relative high prevalence of alternative sexuality and gender among mutants. It allows us, for the majority of students, to remain a 'them' rather than an 'us'. And I can also reveal, that Poe is not the only cottage with lesbian, gay, bi, or gender transformed students. It's just the only one where they can be open, some of the time. That must be a lonely life. They feel alone, but they are not alone. We are just hidden away from them."

She takes a deep breath, lets it out. "The final point I'll make now, is that the Poe secret prevents us campaigning. It prevents us placing pressure on bullies to change their ways. It prevents us placing pressure on the administration to take our needs into account. It is a closet. And it was not until gays, lesbians and trans people started to step out of the closet and demand acceptance, that outright legislated bigotry started to thaw even slightly in the outside world."

"Alright, I've said enough. Questions and answers, put your hand up and I'll come over."

She heads over to one of the senior girls who put their hand up. "Yes, dear."

"Um, if we choose to come out as a cottage, all at once, how would we do it?"

"If we do make that decision, that would be the next thing we would have to brainstorm together. But I have an initial suggestion, to start our deliberations. I have verified with the Head that we would be given the go-ahead to hold a Pride celebration. During that, an announcement would be made, with the Head backing it up."

Other hands go up, she moves over to an older looking boy, "Yes?" I notice that she's not calling names.

"How would we stop all the bullies from jumping us? I mean both attacking Poe with a whole group of them, and ambushing the weaker kids alone?"

"Security will protect Poe itself, as will I. We may have to organize protective details of stronger students escorting weaker ones if ambushes become an issue. The Head has promised to crack down hard enough to establish real deterrence. But I won't lie to you. We won't change people's hearts without facing opposition. There will be bullying, if we choose to come out. It will need to be fought. Yes, next?"

"Some of us aren't out to our family. What if they freak out?"

Mrs Horton winces, and nods. "That is a genuine problem. As a school, we're equipped to fight back against almost anyone - except parents. We can't protect you from their actions, unless they would be illegal. We can't prevent them withdrawing you from the school. I personally will refer you to good lawyers if you decide to seek emancipation, but the school can't openly take sides. Yes?"

"Can we just send Parallel to put the whammy on them?" That gets a laugh. Mrs Horton looks over to me, curious I think to see if I'll pass this test.

I pitch my voice up to carry. "Tempted as I am, the answer's no. The influence I'm having is just a matter of being physically close to me. I can't turn it off, but I can turn it up. If I deliberately turn it up around people who haven't asked me to, I'm exerting mind control. As I figure it, there's got to be a fairly high bar for what would turn mind control into lawful self defence, and there's no way being a bigoted parent would meet that bar. So I'm genuinely sorry, but I can't, it's too risky. Even if I did change their minds, the courts might take that as reason to invalidate their decisions and hand you to some bigot relative. Don't despair, though. What happens fast around me is still happening slower everywhere out there. Push against the bigotry, the tide is behind you."

Mrs Horton nods. "Correct answer. Any student exerting mind control for a reason like that would most certainly be facing criminal charges as well as expulsion. Please do not pressure Miss Parallel, or attempt it yourselves. Anyone else? Yes?"

She's picked Sharisha. Hoo boy.


	75. Part 75

# # Part seventy five

Sharisha looks around the crowded room. "Let's get the hard bit done first. I don't like most of you, and I know most of you don't like me. I don't expect what I'm about to say to change that, or change your damn minds. I'm just saying it because I'm angry."

"When I came to this school, I fucked up, I made one mistake, I told my secret. I'm a goddamn dyke - so what, I don't approve of it, but it's true. My stupid mouth. They assigned me to Poe. Perhaps they expected me to fit in here and make friends with the other freaks. But I don't like freaks. This place has done exactly nothing good for me except one thing: it has kept my secret. Now you're all fixing to tear that up."

"What this means to me is, I can't ever leave the shadow of Poe. I can move out, but why was I here before? I can leave the school, 'cept I don't have money and I'm still a goddamn mutant, and my record would follow me anyhow. I'd have to change my damn name. I'd have to hide in a damn hole. And why? Because what you all are about to do will paint 'goddamn dyke' on my forehead in letters I can never wash off, spelled P. O. E., and that will follow me for the rest of my life."

"And that's me done. Do as you please. Fuck you all."

Immediately there's noise. angry retorts - I think I hear Toni saying "fuck you too, bigot bitch."

Mrs Horton pitches her voice loud, "Quiet! Pipe down, this is not a forum for your grudges, save it." The room gets quieter. "Consider her point. I told you there'd be awkward people, and I want our discussion to include them too. Now, because that wasn't a question, I'm switching us to discussion. Put your hand up if you've got something you want to say. Yes?"

It's Zenith. "She's right about herself, and she's right about everyone else who ever went to Poe. We have to think about how many alumni would be outed if we go ahead. Some of them may be in positions where they aren't safe. What we do here may only have public visibility for the mutant community, but you can be sure our enemies will pick it up too and use it in the worst way they can. I don't see any way to chase up and include all alumni in our discussion tonight, but we need to be aware we're deciding for them."

That causes murmurs of agreement. The atmosphere is more somber.

I put my hand up, and Mrs Horton picks me. "Is there any way we can reach them all, ask the school to pass a message? Because although they'll be confidential, I bet the school keeps records of where everyone is. I doubt we could get into a two way conversation with them, but we could at least pass a warning."

Mrs Horton replies to that, "Yes, I feel the school would be able to do that. I'll check with the Head, but I expect that to be possible."

She looks around and picks a girl. "So, there's probably lots of folks here who think like Sharisha, at least partly. Like, maybe they're okay with being a lesbian here, where it's all lesbians, but they don't want to walk around the school with 'I munch rug' in sharpie on their forehead." Several snickers at that. "Yeah, laugh it up, but it's still an issue. And it doesn't help if we get the school cracking down on the 'phobes, if the one who's uncomfortable is them. Can you put yourself in detention for hating on yourself? That isn't a solution. So I propose we need help from the shrinks..."

Sharisha cuts across loudly with "I don't need my goddamn brain washed, thank you and hell no."

"Not brainwashing", the girl picks back up. "Like, helping us handle how we're feeling. Not trying to make us approve, helping us cope."

"Still sounds like brainwashing to me", is the grumpy response.

Mrs Horton nods. "The school can do that, and I assure you, nobody's going to march you into Doyle and make you sit there and talk about your feelings. I'm going to press for it to be offered to all of us. There might be a number of different reactions. Self disapproval is one. Fear, might be another. Embarrassment. Difficulty with being the center of attention. Tensions with friends. We are all likely to need at least a little help, although we can also look out for each other."

She picks a boy next. He says, "Alright, everyone, I know we aren't voting, but I just want to get a feel for the room. All in favour say aye!"

A loud chorus of "Aye!", it's nearly everyone in the room.

"All against, say no!"

Five noes, Sharisha is obviously one, but she's not alone.

"Alright. So, perhaps Mrs Horton, you can go to the noes and ask them why they're against? Because we need to address those things."

She nods agreeing.

The first of them is a boy, I've occasionally seen him around on our floor so that probably makes him a freshman too. He says, "My parents are strict Christians. They know I'm a mutant. They don't know I... I have attractions to boys. I don't know if they would accept me. I have enough trouble accepting myself. And if we all come out, the school will think I'm gay. I... I can't handle being thought of that way."

The kid next to him says, "What's wrong with being gay? I'm gay. Are you gonna say there's something wrong with me?"

He shakes his head, voice low enough it's hard to hear, "I... still like girls."

The kid who spoke to him says, "So you're bisexual. Say it out loud, I'm bisexual."

"I'm bisexual." He doesn't manage loud, but makes it up to audible.

"You hang onto that and be proud. Someone calls you gay, tell them that. As for your parents, you know they're pushovers in their heart of hearts. They wouldn't hurt you."

He nods, and pulls the other boy into a hug. "Okay, I... change my vote, I vote aye."

Cheering fills the room, although Mrs Horton quickly hushes it, saying "we aren't done yet", and moving on to the next, a girl.

"His folks might be pushovers but mine are not. Bible this, bible that. I guarantee you, they'll disown me. Mutant already was a bridge too far; if I have to say the L-word to them, they'll just tell me they don't have a daughter."

"I'll adopt you! Well, I'll make my folks do it!" A girl near her interjects. "We've got a spare room, you'll fit right in." She looks around the room. "Anyone else in a situation like me, if you've got room in your house and you aren't hurting for money, take on a new sister or a new brother if they're in need. Nobody goes without family." That gets a chorus of "yeah!" and "My family can do that."

The girl looks overwhelmed. "Um, thank you thank you so much. And I vote Aye."

One of the other noes, a boy, says "If I can have a family and home at the end of this, no matter what, I vote aye too."

And then there were two. One, surprisingly, is Jamie. Mrs Horton goes over. "Jamie, I'm surprised, I thought you'd be in favour."

She shakes her head. "I'm not. I don't want us to come out. Bless it! Why can I always talk correctly?"

it takes a moment, then, "Backwards talk!" says Hank. "Someone get a pen and paper, he can still write forwards."

One is fetched, and saying "throw that away", Jamie grabs for it, and writes in big letters "YES" and holds it up mutely. A big relieved cheer.

And then there was one. "Well I can see the way this is going, so I'll just step out of your way", Sharisha sounds defeated and close to crying.

Mrs Horton shakes her head. "What can we do to help? We aren't going to trample over you, dear."

"Yeah and why not? Because this fat body and this damn dyke mind have been nothing but objects of scorn all my life, so, trample away, everyone does, even I do."

A girl near her says, "Sharisha, you have to stop hating yourself, you are lovable, we won't let you fall through the cracks."

"Yeah? How many of you love me?" Something like a wind is raising in the room. "You fuckers all but spit when you pass me."

One of the kids steps forward and gives her a hug, and then another. "Hey no, stop it, you can't, it's a lie, it's a lie..." she's weeping, and the wind picks up for a moment, then collapses suddenly. She sniffles. "Damn it, back up, give me space." The ones hugging her step back and she takes a moment to wipe her face on her sleeve and visibly pull herself together. "Damn it okay. If all of you can risk it for yourselves, if you can even maybe like me... maybe I'll give myself a chance. Maybe being a freak ain't so bad. Damn it, I vote aye."

Unanimity.

There's a pause as people grasp that it really happened, and then there's a roaring cheer. This one, Mrs Horton doesn't stop.

And in the heart of the cheer, and the quiet existence of the building under and around me, I find a song, and a choice, and I choose yes, now is the right time, and I begin to sing. I sing of Poe the place, simple but beloved, a crossroads of our lives, a frame and a shared home. I sing of a nest that protects all within, strong, keeping our secret. I sing of love shared, mutual support, our many weavings together, our shared identity. I sing of unanimity in a great choice, and a new dawn, and the coming of change but framed in love that still protects, all for all, only now proudly. I sing of us as bright lives, shining love out into the school, and the world. And I sing of Poe, us together and here, as the heart of it.

Song over, I fall silent. The room is silent, rapt. It feels more brightly lit, purer, more beautiful. It takes a moment for Mrs Horton to cough and say "Thank you, Jules. Well, everyone, it's coming up on bed time, so please head to your rooms. I need to speak to the Head, and then I'll call another meeting where we can discus the how of it."

It takes time for people to leave that room, and I can see several of them trailing fingers against walls or doors, like I've done in the Lovecraft room. Poe feels... alive, awakened. Feels like it's snuggling against their touches. I grin as I head back towards my room, catching up with the Kimbas.

"I do not know what you said in that song, Jules, and I do", it's Toni. "And that's the weirdest damn feeling. That and Poe is goddamn well hugging me every time I touch it. Did you put a whammy on a whole damn building?"

"First for me too", I say. Running my fingertips along the wall. "It feels like the Lovecraft room. I think we woke it up."

"'We', my ass, you did."

"With our decision and our unity." She just shrugs at that.

Nikki's paused at the entrance to her room. "Toni, you know I was wishing for a bit more greenery?"

"Yah, what of it? Oh fuck, pardon my French", the last said as she peers into a vine-and-flower overgrown room.

"I think", says Nikki, "That it might be wise to think twice about what we wish for in Poe, for the next little while. Yes, thank you Poe, it's beautiful, but we need room for our laptops and books." Plants helpfully move back from the desk.

Toni shakes her head. "Well I'll be damned. Our own fairytale castle."


	76. Part 76

# # Part seventy six

****14th January, 2007, Poe****

Erin and I had fun before bed, turning our room into something with the feel of a leafy forest glade, with trees and wildflowers painted up the wall and branches of wood twisting around the room, and the carpet much thicker than it originally had been. Then I had a relaxing and comfortable night of dreams. Sara and I talked over my plans for Caitlin. I want to get that done for her as soon as possible. Then there's the Kimba tea party, which I have some nice clothes for, thanks to the shopping expedition I went on while we were all deciding over in Poe. Paige's meeting might or might not be today, and might or might not include me. And maybe I can see if Donna and I can meet up? It's been awhile. But I'll probably have to ask for an exeat for that.

Morning, and I'm awake. I port out of bed, vanish this copy of my pyjamas and grab a nice robe I picked up last night. A shower is warm and relaxing, and it's interesting to feel the difference in people's emotions. There's still a lot of wall-caresses happening. Sharisha comes in, looking a bit stunned still, and gets hugs from a couple of other kids and pushes them away but still grins. Not an expression I've seen on her much, and it suits her.

Shaking the water off with a port, waving hi to Ayla as he comes in, and making sure to give him an eyeful before I put my gown back on, I head for my room. Meanwhile, over the links, "Caitlin, you up?"

"Yeah, I hardly sleep, you ready to tell me the big secret?"

"Give me two ticks to get my kit on and I'll be over."

Today I'm going with a nice skirt and a top with green vines I found in the store. Add to that a grey wool knitted armless cape cardigan. I hesitate between boots and sneakers, pick the boots. All ready. I've got the coordinates for outside Caitlin's room, so a single step takes me across campus. I knock.

"Jules?"

"Yup!"

"Come on in, that was fast. Ha, nice look, very cottage-witch. So, spit it out already."

I come in, close the door, grab a seat, "So yeah. I gave you two parts of the puzzle yesterday, I know your past, and the links. Here's where I connect up the lines. The links are a comms net, but they aren't only that. They were created based on what I told you, my advance knowledge from reading. I know someone is gonna get killed. I know the victim and the culprit, but not the day or the means, and I can't protect them because of who and what they are. So what do I do? I figure out how to grab a connection to their soul if they're dead, make a new body" - I appear beside myself in a Jamie-body, "like this, then I can move the soul in, move myself out, they're alive again." I look at her. "And then I realised, the way the links connect up, it's not true that both people need to be alive. They connect to souls. And that I could maybe help you." I vanish the Jamie body. "Maybe I could help you get Cat back. All the way back."

As I'm explaining her emotions go from confused, to a bit weirded out, to stunned. "Cat... how? She's dead."

"Don't you have moments when she feels so close she could be in the room? I'm nearly certain her soul will be staying with you and watching. If we can get the message to her to reach out..."

"Then we link up." She nods. "But how?"

"What I'm guessing will work is memories. Think of her, think of the best time you ever had together, remember her so clearly you could touch her. And then ask her to reach out to you."

She sits there, takes deep breaths, closes her eyes and tries. It takes a few moments, she gets a disappointed look, like it isn't working, and then a shocked one. "Cat?"

I leave her alone as she's clearly talking down the link, tears running unheeded down her face. Then she grins, wipes her face and says, "of course", and I'm in a group with the two of them.

"Thank you so much!" It's a voice I don't know. "I am overjoyed we can talk again properly, and I understand it's all your work."

"Mostly mine, with some help", I say. "And I'm not done yet. Next phase is getting you back alive."

A sensation of surprise. "How on earth do you propose doing that? I watched them bury me. I'd rather not be a shambling zombie, if that's alright by you."

"New body", I say. "And, apologies, because I never got a snapshot of you when you were alive, it won't be the same as your last. Upside, that's going to make slinking back into school as a freshman student so you can be with Caitlin a lot easier. Downside, you'll almost certainly have different powers, sorry."

Caitlin laughs. "Oh, you've got this all planned out, haven't you? I can just see it. Mysterious student without a past, well, it's clear we can handle that, we handled you. Moves in with me, happy days. Not sure how you're planning to get the Head on side..."

I say, "I'm going to ask Circe to supervise when I do the soul to body reconnection. She can vouch for new-Cat to the Head."

Caitlin says, "That works, I suppose. I'm not too fond of the finger-wigglers, but I'll tolerate it this once. I do approve of having supervision on hand. Is it the first time you've done this?"

"Yeah", I admit. "Although Sara did something like it, and she's walked me through how."

"And she can't do it because?"

"It'll be my body until I move myself out. So switching its soul connections from me to Cat has to be a me thing."

"Fair enough. So how do we make the new body?"

"I think you two need to help me design it. I'll project an image onto the links, and you should be able to nudge it until it feels right for you to move into, Cat."

"Man, I'm gonna have to change my name", Cat says. "Erik, you thief." Which makes the two of them crack up. "Okay, show me."

I show a fairly neutral naked female figure, about the same apparent age as Caitlin. "Think of this as like a character creator in a game. Suggest changes, I'll alter the image. My suggestion is, go for what makes you feel good as well as comfortable to live in day-to-day, but don't try to look too similar to how you were, or you'll make people talk."

"Fair enough, I suppose. Okay, here goes."

We spend a few minutes making and tweaking the design. Simultaneously, I contact Circe. "Hi, good morning, is this a good time?"

"Yeah, I've been up all night combing through your link spell. Nice piece of work. Now's as good as ever." She sends a feeling of tiredness. "What were you up to over in Poe? It's all but glowing. I can feel it from here."

"You'll find out the 'why' when everyone else does, but the 'what' was me singing to the cottage and the people there. I think I woke the place up. It's become very friendly and responsive to suggestions."

She laughs. "Only you. All right, whenever you are ready. Do you have a venue?"

"Not really, do you have an idea for somewhere indoors, private, that won't scare Caitlin? I doubt she'd be willing to walk into anyone's circle."

She sends agreement. "There is a lecture hall in Kirby. It has no circle, and I have the keys."

"Alright, see you there shortly."

We finish the character design, Cat slapping down teasing suggestions from Caitlin to increase the bust size, and the result is a cute, red haired pixie of a girl, with short hair and freckles, green eyes, and the build of a gymnast.

"Okay", I say, "We've got a venue, Kirby. Willing to trust me on a teleport or shall we walk over?"

We end up walking over, although I do see Caitlin's point that her aura might mess with the jump. As we walk over, I explain that I'm going to be giving Cat my exemplar and regenerator traits as hard as I can, but leaving the rest of her mutation to settle out on its own. Her soul's pattern might be able to shape that. Big me will be in charge of designing her DNA, which will be partly based on mine, partly on the planned body image. I'll shake-down the body to see it's all working, then soul dive to move us across. Circe will only be there to ensure I don't make a hash of it, but I don't expect to.

It turns out the lecture hall is the same place Englund takes his classes, wouldn't he be amused to see what I'm up to today? But let's hope it can be kept safely quiet. Circe meets us there. Caitlin takes a seat. Once again, I'm center stage. Circe's ready, I'm ready, all systems go.

"New body in three, two, one..."

Big me sliding forward, working on the detail. Shaping bones, organs, nerves, blood, lymph, muscles, skin, hair. Wrapping her in a best-effort refitted copy of my school uniform. I'm no tailor, but it should do. And print.

I have a second viewpoint. She looks good. Checking through all her cellular systems, everything's working, no faults, no genetic issues.

I soul dive. "If this hurts, say ow. We should still be in contact through the links. I'll try to anaesthetize any pain, but you may have weird, half out half in sensations while I'm working, please bear with me."

"Okay, and thank you."

With big me's help, I go deeper than ever, and I can see Cat's soul. She's already attached to a few other incarnations, which is interesting. I guess humans don't realise it, but multi-personhood is more normal than it looks. The part of her that's still Cat has physical connection points with a slightly atrophied, healed-over look, but I grab them and pull upward, following my own to the new body.

"Ow, stretching!"

"Bear with it", I say. "Not long."

Detaching my own connections to the body hurts surprisingly much, and I can't turn this kind of soul pain off, but I bear with it too, as I weld her to the points where I just cut myself loose. There are many connections, but they all seem to be hooked up right, and, with the last of mine gone, I lose sensation of the new body, it's hers. I check the welds carefully, nothing coming loose. And surface.

"And welcome back."

She stands there blinking for a moment. Looks at her own hands. Says, croakily, "I'm... back." And stumbles and collapses to the floor. "I'm okay, I'm okay, just unused to this. Been a while. Gimme a moment. Damn, bodies are clunky." She pushes herself up, pushes too hard in fact, and bounces halfway to the ceiling, making me warp to catch her in mid fall. "Oh whee, who turned down gravity?"

"Mind your strength", I say. "You should be ex-four or thereabouts. Your own body is well below what you can bench, and your grip can crush a baseline's bones. Takes getting used to. Caitlin should be safe though."

She nods. "C'mere and give me a hug, Erik, you name stealing idiot. And tell me what the hell happened to you." The two hug, and I head over to Circe.

"All good?"

She nods. "No problems that I can see. Nice work, nicely thorough."

"Would you be able to take them to the Head and explain what's been done?"

She laughs. "Worried you'll get yelled at?"

"I have been making lots of work for her."

"This, she will be happy about, I think. But you are right, it might take her a bit of time to realise it. Very well. And she is to get the full story?"

"Thank you", I say. "Yeah, no reason to cut her out of the loop. She'll know how far the information needs to go."

And then I head out towards breakfast with a grin, leaving them to their reunion.


	77. Part 77

# # Part seventy seven

A jump gets me back to Poe, so I can head to breakfast with the Kimbas this time. We get looks, coming into the Crystal Hall. Actually, all the Poesies do, it's like we're all radiating a gentle glamour. I'm not sure how much of that is just reaching such a momentous decision together, and how much is my song. As for me, I've got a grin - because of that and helping Caitlin, I'm feeling pretty happy with the way things are going at the moment.

"Okay, so what's got you all glowing?", asks Paige, who's glowing nicely herself but we all know the reason for that.

"It is still a secret", says Hippolyta. "But is a good thing. Not long until you find out too."

I change the subject before bright minds figure too much out. "Speaking of secrets. I can't reveal details, but I've successfully used lifeboating, just this morning."

Everyone looks at me. "On who?... no, strike that, no details", Paige says, "Did it work well?"

I nod. "Circe helped monitor. All good, as far as either of us could determine."

"That's a really comfortable thing to think about, but It's bad to know we're less safe." Jamie has feathers in his hair and is definitely on the male side today. And is backwards-talking, but that's easy to adjust around once you know it's there. "I'm really looking forward to living."

Sara says, "We'll prevent it if we can. Don't worry, dear."

I nod. "No complacency, there's ways to take injury I'm not sure I could do much about." I'm about to say more but there's a sudden hush, followed by someone shouting "Quiet!" Looking across the room, it's Saladin, who I met yesterday, he's standing up on his table so everyone can see and hear him. I wonder what's up?

He says, in a voice pitched to carry, "Most of you know me and who I hang out with and what we stand for. This fact has apparently gone over the head of one of you, as someone in this school is trying to blackmail me."

"Blackmail is a despicable practice and its weak spot is that it only works if you are embarrassed and ashamed by what they threaten you with. The problem that my blackmailer has made is that I am not embarrassed nor ashamed by what they chose to threaten me with exposing." He pauses, then says, "You see, I am gay and they wanted to show pictures of me and my boyfriend to everyone."

"I will not be blackmailed because of the truth. En'shah Allah that will be all that needs to be said on the matter." And he steps off the table and sits back down.

It isn't me who starts the standing applause, it's one of the other Poesies who I don't know by name, but I do jump up and join in, and so do both the tables I'm at, and pretty much everyone from Poe, and others get dragged in too. As well as various whoops, cheers, whistles and raised fist gestures. Perhaps we're a third of the school actively showing solidarity, and another third smiling. The number of actual frowns are few, and all the more grim for realising it. One is the black guy in the capes who I caught giving the stink eye before. He looks like he bit into a bad egg. One to watch for trouble, then.

The applause comes slowly to an end, and we sit down, but I think a point has been made, and the balance of power has decisively shifted. Backlash, is the next likely move in the game, the 'phobes will feel they need to re-establish their position at the top of the heap. I'll see if I can't keep an eye out for it.

"Well, well. This is a rather useful invention of yours." A voice I had *not* expected to hear, for a moment I startle and look behind me, but it's over the links.

"Hello, Headmistress." I can't help myself from grinning. So she's heard the story, then, and blagged a link for herself. "I hope you find it convenient, although I do ask you consider who you're passing it to."

"Yes, Circe explained, you want it to spread first among the nice people. A sentiment with which I concur. And, thank you for my former range instructor back, even if it does drop another heap of highly secret paperwork on my desk."

"My apologies for the bureaucracy. By the way, we just had an interesting incident in Crystal Hall you might want to be aware of. Saladin of the capes very publicly came out. Someone was blackmailing him and he just dropped the hammer on that. And all of Poe and about a third of the whole school clapped him for it. But a handful have a pretty serious death glare going."

She sends the feeling of an understanding nod. "I'll nudge security to be aware. Speaking of which, last night..."

"That was mostly not me."

"Indeed, although I'm informed you had a song to add."

"Poe may be a little... enchanted, for awhile, perhaps permanently", I admit. "The upside is, it's very friendly."

A laugh. "God preserve me from 'friendly' cottages. We were planning a refit in the summer, do you think that will upset it?" It's said with some sarcasm, but that's a valid question.

I send a head-shake. "No, I'm certain it will be happy to help. It has already been very willing to help us tinker with the insides of our rooms and such. If you can get me the plans, I can probably ask it to do the refit for itself. I might need to read up on building codes though, so I don't let it leave off the guttering or some such thing."

"Doing the refit for itself... Let me guess, it would be complete in minutes and move everyone's rooms and possessions intact?" She sends me an image of Poe flowing and reforming in place.

"I can ask", I grin. "Would have to be on a green flag day, but..."

She laughs. "Very, very green. Well, perhaps next recess, when the number of students is low. Worst case, we will be able to rehouse you all while we sort through the rubble. Assuming we are not at open war over this decision Poe has collectively taken."

"I hope not. But even the best case is likely to look a little guerilla for awhile."

"I will see what I can do to put the kibosh on that. But security can't be everywhere."

I nod. "Links may change that equation." An amused thought. "You're on it now, and you may want to add a few trusted security honchos, so that you're not the first port of call for every pupil in the link-equipped school."

A wince. "God help me. I'd never have a moment's peace. Ugh, absolutely, I'll get right on that. And we will have to draw up new rules for this; initially, secret ones, which means I'll have to do them myself. You do rather seem to be creating work for me, you know."

"Sorry. If it's any use, I could muck in and help?"

"I may take you up on that. Alright, over and out, or whatever it is one says on this thing."

"Speak to you later", I agree.

But she isn't quite done yet. Instead, me and all the Kimbas get a group invite, and when we accept, it's the Head. "Hello, Kimbas. I'm informed you were among the first recipients of this nice new link system, you'll be happy to know that I'm on it too, now. And I shall be adding a few trusted leaders in security, so that you all will have someone to go to if and when there is another crisis, rather than rushing in and going at it hammer and tongs all by yourselves." That cuts across and silences a conversation about how implausible it was for one of the capes to come out. Winces and looks of consternation all round.

"Uh, good morning Headmistress", says Hank, diplomatic as usual. "I'm sure we would be glad to."

"Excellent. I will inform you all of the necessary contacts as soon as I've arranged them. Over and out."

Jade says, in voice, "Oh we are so screwed."

As for me, I crack up laughing, I can't help it. Which makes Toni say "Oh yeah, laugh it up", and me laugh even harder. Unexpected consequences, oy vey. Well, the links are out there now, and they will go where they will go. Sometimes it's fun not to know what surprises the universe has in store.

As breakfast breaks up, Chou stops me. "Hey Jules. Two things. First off, tea party is in an hour, Poe's dayroom."

I nod. "I'll be there."

"And second, while I don't understand the message, the Tao says that you healed a wound in the world today, and this is a great good thing, with many future beneficial consequences."

"Tell it thanks", I grin. "It was the correct thing to do. If it has other suggestions..."

"I will bring them to you", she agrees.

That leaves me briefly at a loose end. So I wander over to a place I can sit and think, in the library, and nudge Donna. "Good morning, are you available?"

"Good morning Jules, yes, absolutely, what's up?" She sends the feeling of a warm hug.

I happily return it. "I was just wondering if perhaps I could come and visit you, at home, perhaps some time later today? Although no pressure, I know you have secret business that needs to be kept out of my head as much as anybody else's."

She nods. "I'll see if I can't make a space for you to come over. Will you be able to get an exeat?"

"I can try", I say. "Worst case we can chat. But I think Ms Hartford doesn't hate me, which is as near as she gets to friendly. So I may get what I ask for."

She grins. "I shall look forward to having you over. Oh, and while we're talking, an update. No formal indicator has ticked yet, obviously, but we're getting anecdotes in from our police and FBI contacts that the number of walk-in, unforced confessions is unusually high. So things may be going faster than we thought. Also, your little broadcast is making the rounds in conspiracy circles. The reaction varying from ecstatic peace-and-rainbows types, who think you're a Pleiadian saviour come to bring the era of disclosure, all the way down to extremely distressed H-one militias who are calling you the antichrist born on Earth. It hasn't popped up on mainstream channels yet but I wouldn't be surprised if you're a slow news day filler waiting to run."

I giggle. "Would surprise the UFO folks to know that I'm from further out than that, and yet closer to home. If I meet any Pleiadians, I'll tell them hi."

She smirks. "By the by, you might want to be careful how you get here. Our feelers in the CIA and MCO suggest they're definitely not your friends right now. You wouldn't want to be stopped en route."

"Use the links to send me coordinates and an altitude overview, Google maps with the satellite images would work. I plan to try fast-travel."

"Which is?"

"Flying and line of sight teleporting. Horizon at a time. Probably a pretty high mach equivalent."

"Oh yeah, the fastest folks who can do that push mach numbers you normally don't see outside of orbit. But the FAA will throw an absolute shit-fit if you haven't registered a flight plan, because it looks like the prelude to an attack."

I nod. "I'll do that. Billie should be able to tell me how."

"And do you have a transponder and a radio?"

"Not yet", I admit. "I'll get one by this afternoon."

"Please do. We heard them panicking over Billie's high speed fun and games over Christmas, they weren't sure if she was an ICBM. By the board means happy, friendly bureaucrats and an absence of scrambled fighter jets. Which they absolutely will bill you for if you don't have a whole lot of good will cancelling it out."

"Duly noted", I say, amused.


	78. Part 78

# # Part seventy eight

The tea party is calming and nice. After Chou hands me my tea and calls the toast to "long life", I try a small sip first, not completely sure if herbs from Taoist immortals will agree with my system, but it seems fine. My life sense registers various small toning and enhancing effects, pleasant and perhaps with continued use, cumulative. Nothing harmful. I grin. Even Ayla has to acknowledge it's damn nice tea. It seems to perk Billie up too, which is nice. I still feel on the outside of this team, but at the same time, friendly-outside, and that's good for me.

"You look thoughtful", Chou says.

I smile. "Life's been hectic of late. Mostly good-hectic, although there's all sorts of looming issues. But a moment of unworried calm doesn't hurt."

She nods. "I noticed your hesitation. But you tried the tea anyway."

"Some things, I feel I can put my safety in the hands of. Your Tao is one."

She laughs, relaxed, shakes her head. "You are a tease. My Tao, like I have it on a leash."

"Or vice versa."

"That may be closer to the truth", she admits. "You know, you seem to have a good natural grasp of it yourself. I know you don't sense it, but you move with it."

I sit and think about that for a moment. "When trouble comes to me, I end it. When my friends are in danger, I save them. When the forest is beautiful, I sing in it. On an ordinary day, I eat my food and study my lessons. I suppose I don't bring an agenda - other than the one I baked into my nature - and that helps."

"What would you do if the Tao wanted you to kill someone?"

I get the feeling that's a personal question. "I've already killed mi-go. They were probably people."

"A named, human person."

I take a minute to consider. "I don't get given job assignments the way you do. But I suppose I do have a different perspective. Humans don't lose their existence when they're killed, they're already multi-existing, even if they don't know it, I confirmed that myself today. And the singular experiential self doesn't vanish either, but it does tear holes in the web of lives when it dies. Thinking about it, I have friends and I'm not completely objective about them, but mostly I see people in terms of their wake in the world. There's a few people I've met already I wouldn't mind to kill at all, they leave hate and havoc behind them. But they haven't presented themselves as targets, except once, and I fumbled that one because I was being grumpy and a bit vicious."

She's heard the story. "You were being a bit traumatized as well, you know? Be gentle on yourself, he may yet have a part to play."

I nod. "He sure fits the part of Smeagol on looks. You be gentle on yourself too. I get the feeling that wasn't an abstract question."

Without admitting anything, she smiles and says, "Your perspective helped."

I take another sip of my tea as my answer to that.

As we're heading off on our own ways afterward, I stop Billie. "I know you're good with flying, could you help me with a thing?"

She nods, "Sure, no problem."

I outline my plans to fly over to Donna, and pick up a transponder to make it all above board. But I can tell from the faces she's pulling that I'm not going to like the answer.

She rubs her forehead with her hand. "Uh, okay, come into my room so we can sit down and talk about this."

I nod, and she leads me in. I grab a seat on the bed.

"So I'm in your classes and I know you fly okay now, indoors. So don't take this as anything against you, okay?"

"Sure."

"So. If you're flying at near-treetop level and well below supersonic, I don't think anyone cares to ding you for a license. But equally, you have no help to rely on, it's like you're jogging solo. The school won't let you use that on an exeat, not without a senior or an adult along. So that's one thing. It's also a pretty bad idea, there's like, birds and stuff, even at only 80 miles per hour, they whack you a good one and the bird doesn't make it. And even teleporting, your horizon is really tight."

I wince at the thought of hitting some poor innocent bird. "And I take it, higher up, I need a license. How quickly can I get one?"

She goes and gets a thick book off her shelf. "Read this, I know it'll take you like a minute. That's regulations, flight physics, the special language they speak, all of it. You need to know that. You need to get a physical, but the school can submit that if you had one recently. You need to sit an exam on the theory, which means waiting until they're ready to run one. Then, although they can overlap it a bit while you wait, you need a minimum number of hours flight time, most of which has to be with with an instructor. Then finally they make you take a practical test in the air. If you pass, they mail you your license."

Well, rats. "I suppose I can beg someone to get me started tomorrow, but it sounds like a complete no-go for tonight."

"It normally takes a term", she agrees. "For you, still weeks, unless you can find an instructor who doesn't need sleep. Ask Donna to come get you in a car."

I wince and nod. "Thank you, you're a good friend, and having bad news to tell doesn't change that."

She smiles. "As to the transponder and stuff, the circuitry isn't in that book, but it should be online. You can put one together yourself, but you'll need to have a code for it to transmit, which means a license. But there's no reason not to get started."

I nod. "Now I got thinking about it, I have some ideas for flying too, honestly I've been neglecting it a bit, but maybe we could practise together some time?"

She grins, "I'd love to. Perhaps when you're back from Donna? If we stick to treetop height and keep it on campus, I think there won't be an issue."

"Sounds like a plan", I agree.

Back in my room the exeat's been granted, an ironic victory. The text of the email says, "You will need to have an adult or a senior present with you at all times when you're outside the school grounds." Gah.

I grab a seat on my bed, and update Donna on the frustrating developments. She's disappointed but understanding. "I could drive over, but I'm worried about us being stopped. We could cloak you again, but it's foolish to try and run the same trick twice. If they're professional, they'll catch on immediately. It's a pity you can't teleport direct. But I know you don't have a link to this place."

That word, link, catches a thread's attention and it blossoms out into speculation. "Um, maybe I do."

"You've never been here, dear."

"But you're there right now, and I have a link to you." I check myself over, am I otherwise ready to go? Yes. "Find some place with space for two, indoors or outside. A place that's an actual place, not a hallway or something. Your garden, your kitchen, something like that. Then just stand there sending me the feeling of being there down the link."

"Um, this sounds dangerously experimental."

"I won't jump if it doesn't feel like it's working, but let's try."

"Alright. Here you go." She's standing in her kitchen, surrounded by a homely kind of mess. Cooking gear, kids toys, crayon drawings tacked up on the wall. Washed dishes stacked in the rack drying. Houseplants, looking healthy. I can feel like I'm there. I can feel like I could jump there. And g-sense blossoms, showing me the shape of the room and the safe empty spaces I can jump into, and I fold space and *step*.

And I'm there. "Hey Donna mama."

She startles. "And you made it! Well, well. I've never heard anything like it. Goodness, you do teleport silently though, you made me jump. Everyone else I've met at least goes 'pop'." I think she's startle-babbling a bit, so I hug her.

"Yeah, dunno why it does that." Although I've begun to suspect that matter creation and destruction may be involved - except that I could teleport silently before I could make anything other than copied bodies. It's a conundrum. Mmm, she's stroking my hair and it feels nice. I make it play around her fingertips.

"You jumped to a metaphysical coordinate, dear. That's at least an upgrade. More powers for you."

"More safety for you and the others, I can come to your rescue, and bring help with me, wherever you are."

"Well, today there's no need to go haring around rescuing people. Would you like the guided tour, or shall I get started right on lunch?"

"Guided tour please!" I'm hungry, but I'm more curious than hungry, and I think cooking together will be more relaxing once I'm not antsy.

"Alright. I warn you that there's various signs of little miss secret around the place. Please try not to draw too many conclusions, your head leaks." I put out my tongue at her and she laughs. "It's not an insult, dear."

"I know, I know. Allow me my childish frustration." I grin. "Your house is lovely."

"Although it can't quite be your house in practise yet, dear, it is, you know." I look at my feet, feeling a little overwhelmed. She carries on, "TV, of course, Gizmatic Game Toy, our DVD rack, we've still got a few VHS although it's been a long time since I dusted that one off. Garden's out there, although it'll be some months before it's good for much beside tobogganing. We're set back from the main road by about a ten minute walk down a dirt track, and all of it's dense forest. We're on the outskirts of Dunwich here. A nice quiet place. Good for little secrets to play unobserved."

I grin. "it sounds absolutely lovely. Like a meditation retreat."

She laughs. "When certain parties are being quiet, it can be. Let's head upstairs. Bathroom on the right, that one's secret so don't go in there please, and that one's mine. Come on in."

I grin and grab a seat on the bed. It's a gentle, slightly feminine room, Donna lets her agent hair down in here, I feel. I spot a few of Sara's clothes on the rack, which makes me grin, and her blush. And I notice she has a very sturdy double bed. Fun fun. "It's absolutely lovely."

She sits down beside me. "Thank you, love. I'm really glad you could visit." Then she smiles, and her mom hat is back on, "Is there anything you'd like? Soda? Milk? I'm going to go down and get cooking."

"I'll help."

"No you won't dear, not this first time, you're the guest. From next time, I shall expect you to keep your end up on chores." Gah, I love her. I give her a huge hug. "Why don't you go and see if there's a game you like?"

So we head downstairs, and shortly I'm happily playing "Atelier stardust", which is a bit silly and repetitive but very cute.

"Um, Jules", a nudge on the links, although why she's using it from just over in the kitchen? But there's something scared in her tone. "You need to get out of here right away and bring help because *urk!*" and a feeling of very sharp deep pain in my chest, but I know it's from Donna. Oh hell.

"Miss Parallel, or should I call you Jules? Would you like to come outside and have a little conversation? I believe this woman would like you to come to her rescue, foolish as that would be of you."

I know that voice.


	79. Part 79

# # Part seventy nine

Charles bloody Darrow. The Necromancer. Who I was talking about with Chou just earlier, in a conversation that no longer feels accidental at all. I poke Doc Otto. "Emergency. Necromancer and unknown crew at Donna's house. Donna hostage. I will engage. Send help. Contact the Head, she's on the links." And get back a terse, "Roger that, stay safe."

Out loud, I say, "What do you want, Darrow? A rematch?" I send a body looking through Donna's stuff for weapons or anything to help, while I walk out into the kitchen, which is empty, so I look outside, and he's there holding Donna by the neck. He must have teleported her. Something nasty and knife-handle shaped is sticking out of her sternum. Oh god.

Heading outside, Donna looks paralyzed. Darrow is holding her with ease, which indicates either strength or a powered suit. "A rematch, she says!" He sounds amused and inclined to monologue. Do it old man, I need the time. "Before we have our conversation, I want to make our relative position clear. If this knife is pulled from the chest of your so-beloved adoptive mother, or if I am killed, the blade will suck out her soul and use it to restore me. And if I am alive, I can command it to do so whenever I please. So I require your complete obedience."

"You have it", I lie. But that does cut down my options. Is it true? I split my attention. Without obviously bringing big me forward, I'm going to soul dive. But the other part of me says, "Let Donna go", obviously a futile demand but time is time.

"Hardly." I can see two others here too, now. A shaggy, ugly werewolf type, nothing like the graceful weres I know. And a faceless black guy who looks like the statues over Whateley's gates. Lycanthros and Nightgaunt, I've read about them. Nightgaunt must have been the one who stabbed Donna, that's his style. Darrow continues, "You cost me a lot of pain and suffering and a significant amount of credit with the mi-go. A little anguish is a good beginning to what I plan to do with you."

"I seem to recall you kidnapped me first."

"Because the same useless precogs who helped me find you today told me you would be a threat to me."

"I wouldn't have been, unless you put yourself right in my way. If you've been paying attention, I don't take sides."

Feeling along the links, I can see Donna's soul, and on that level, the knife is like a harpoon stuck into her, an obscene thing. Completely unacceptable. I could cut the line, but it occurs to me I can follow the harpoon-line back. He's given me a link to his soul.

"That time is past", he sounds dismissive, but I know I struck home. I'm being completely honest with him. I am not here to pick fights with villains that don't start trouble in front of my face, or attack my friends or myself. Unfortunately for him he's done all three. He continues, "You will vanish all bodies except this one. You will submit to having a warp damper and cuffs put on you by my associates. And then we shall be on our way, to evade the cavalry you have no doubt called."

I vanish the body in the house, it's needless at this point anyhow. The two Gothmog-side can stay. "Done", I lie.

I've followed the line, and I can see his soul. What I can see horrifies me. He doesn't multi-exist. He has cannibalized his other-selves, and grafted them back onto himself, his soul is a Frankenstein mess of stolen power and stolen lives. And encrusted in foul servitors, who I am sure would resurrect him if someone were to destroy him physically. At this point I understand I didn't fumble, when we first met. If I'd blown his head off, I'd have mistakenly assumed he was dead, but he'd have been back anyhow, and probably stolen more lives to do it. He's a less than human thing, a nothing-of-value that preys on value. Even his other potentials are lost to sheer selfishness. I can feel myself getting deeply, intensely angry. Not just me but big me. Her anger is slow growing but it's monstrous. The lives that he's grafted onto himself are in agony, there's no selfhood left in them, only endless horror. I can feel her starting to act.

I hold out my hands for the cuffs. And now I understand what Chou was asking of me. Can I pronounce sentence on him?

Yes, I can.

From depth beyond depth, big me is rising - and I realise now, that the part she's ever extended inside my mind has been far less than all of her, she felt like a mountain then, but what's rising now dwarfs that. Darrow's servitors panic and flee. I can see him get a confused look. She rises up around his soul and engulfs it, and curling tentacles the size of slashing skyscrapers cut deep into it, branching out into fractal knives, slicing and ripping, separating every part from every other part, down to the absolute atoms of soul-stuff, which flee in every direction like a metaphysical wind, shrieking mindlessly, too small to carry any residual evil.

Something changes behind his eyes. He is no longer there, or anywhere. And his body drops like a puppet with cut strings, Donna falling beside him. The handle on the knife evaporates into smoke, and there's just a blade tang sticking out from her.

"Boss?" Lycanthros, who's approaching me with cuffs, gets a lightsaber to the gut, pulled up through his head, then I cut it off with a backswing. Nightgaunt is caught confused and my next swing takes his head off. Donna's house is not a bit of knowledge either of them is going to be taking anywhere.

Looking around, with life sense, and there's nobody around. Several life signs incoming in the distance. Big me subsides back down into unfathomable depths. And Donna's soul is safe, the harpoon is gone. A knife's sticking out of her, but I did give her regen, that's a small problem. A touch verifies that. I could pull it out, but I remember the doc. She doesn't need first aid, so I float her up off the cold ground and wait for the first arrivals, pulling Doc Otto and the Head into a group, I say, "Danger's over, as far as I know. I can't sense anyone else around."

"Good work, but how?" The Head sounds confused and worried.

"Darrow... no longer exists. The distraction let me finish the henchmen he brought. Donna has a once-cursed knife in her but she also has regen and my life sense shows her as not in danger."

"I can see this will be quite a story", Doc Otto says. "Finish, as in dead?"

"Very dead. Unless they can survive decapitation and in the case of Lycanthros, bisection too. Which I do not think so as he shows as an ex-furball on my life sense."

The Head says, "We'll be there shortly. Don't touch anything."

The next few minutes are a rush of activity as supers pour in, flying, or in tow by flyers. They brought a small army, and the Head herself leading it. Doc Tenent the mage teacher came along, and she tends to Donna, and confirms she's okay before pulling the knife-tang out with her hair. A few minutes later, we have Donna sitting on the sofa with a cup of cocoa, wrapped in a blanket, knife-wound already closed. And various flashes outside as pictures are taken of the scene.

I sip my own cocoa and snuggle against her. "Sorry for drawing trouble to you."

She shakes her head. "His choice. He must have calculated the minute you would be outside the school's protection."

"Still. It ruined the day. Stupid food got burned." I hadn't gone and checked on the oven until it started smelling funny.

"We'll make more food." She sighs. "And that's one problem we won't have again, I think?"

I nod. "I need to not talk about it until I've talked to a lawyer. But he isn't coming back. Not any more, not ever." Doc Otto has asked Jane Harper, their staff lawyer who has been following the ups and downs of my legal situation, to drive over as quick as she legally can. She's expected shortly.

Donna strokes my hair.

Cops arrive with much noise and blinkenlights, and want to take statements, but I tell them no comment until my lawyer arrives. Which she does a couple minutes later, barging in past all the room full of busy people, "Where's my client?" I give a wave. "Is she being detained?"

"No, ma'am, we just want a statement."

"If she is not being detained, will a written statement delivered tomorrow be sufficient?"

The cops look at each other. "Those guys she took out are A-class supervillains with rap sheets as long as your arm, and bounties on their heads. She's more likely to get a medal than a murder charge. Yeah, it will be sufficient."

"Then thank you, we are leaving."

The Head says, "Back to Whateley, I strongly suggest. Do you know the way?" Jane shakes her head.

Donna says, "I do", and that suits me very well, as I don't want to lose sight of her right now.

So we all head for Whateley, Donna navigating and me in the back feeling the adrenalin shakes catch up with me. As we drive, Jane grills me. What did I do, when and why. I tell her all of it, except I leave out the fact I chose to kill rather than demand a surrender. But she picks right up on that evasion. So I have to tell the truth. It was not acceptable for them to get away and carry with them knowledge of where Donna lived. I was in a fight, killing them was permissible, I took advantage.

She sighs. "That, we don't put on the statement. Because you've told me now, I can't lie about it in court if I'm asked directly, but I can step around it. Did you also kill them because you wanted to end the fight?"

"Yeah", I agree. "Dead is ended. I think I was a pretty good object lesson in how surrendered is not."

Jane chuckles grimly at that. "How did you get him? He was nowhere near you."

"He gave me a direct line, with his soul on the other end of it", I say. "He could have been on Mars, it wouldn't have been any further away."

Donna says, sounding tired, "When this gets to the ears of people who think, they're going to upgrade your danger level, you know that? Especially when they get the mage report on what you did. Absolute destruction of a soul."

"They're indestructible, the atomic bits", I say. "But yeah, I broke them all apart. Him and all his victims both. May they aggregate into nicer existences in due time."

The sun's setting as we make our way into Whateley. Nobody tried stopping us en route, which is good because I am not in the mood. I wanted to have a nice evening with Donna. Instead some yahoo and his rent-a-mob had to crash it in a fit of childish pique. There's nothing further I can do to him, he's gone, but I blow a mental raspberry at his memory. And I hope the other two pick up some manners in their other incarnations.

Donna has already called the place miss secret is staying, and asked them to make it an all night sleepover. And so when we get there, I thank Jane, and Donna and I both head into the school. She can stay in Sara's room, with the two of us to watch her, and let that be an end of shenanigans for the day.

I should be so lucky, right?


	80. Part 80

# # Part eighty

Jane will be writing up my statement based on the things I told her in the car. Which saves me from having to do it and means Donna and I are free to make our way across campus by the tunnels and into Sara's room to just have family time together. I'm not sure she's had a chance to come here in person before. Sara greets us both with hugs, and I find a space to collapse on her bed and let the shakes go. I end up curled up on the bedcovers with both of them stroking me. "D...Donna, you can let go too." I say. "Don't wanna hog the attention."

She sighs. "Petting you is helping me cope, love."

"Is Paige around? She's the best to pet", I say, "She purrs."

"Haven't seen her in a bit", Sara says. Then on the Pack group, "Paige, are you busy at the moment?"

A pause.

"Paige?"

My shakes stop instantly as adrenalin dumps into my system again with a feeling of cold sweat. "Even if she's sleeping she should hear you."

"What is it?" Donna asks, so I pull her into the group. "Everyone, this is Donna, my adoptive mother and trusted ally. Does anyone have an idea where Paige is?"

We get various answers, but the most recent saw her a short while before enormous numbers of staff suddenly took off flying.

I open a line to the Head. "Headmistress, apologies, Paige is missing and link deaf, and that shouldn't be possible if she's conscious. She was last seen soon before the staff took off to come to my emergency call."

"Yes, I'm a little busy right now, but her room was raided. Stay off the line please."

Oh shit.

I pass that on, and Sara and I rush across, with Donna in tow. From talking to people who saw it, a small number of soldiers in snow gear with covered faces and no insignia broke into Hawthorne shortly after the school had emptied itself of high level supers, cut a path of devastation to Paige's room, stunned her, and teleported out. Thankfully, they didn't kill anyone, but there's a few kids over in Doyle getting treated for electricity burns from stun rifles. Soon enough the rest of the Pack gather up, and I pass it on to the Kimbas too. They're all over doing their own things, but Billie gets there quickly, and gives me a hug. We all gather up in Sara's room.

Sara leads business, as I'm feeling drained. "We get the same results from the links and from my mark, they've got her deeply unconscious but she isn't dead. Obviously, the school is going to call in all their favours on this, and they're doing their own things to find her. So we'll be working with the staff, not going behind their backs. Does anyone have ideas or suggestions?"

Jet says, "We need to check on Petra."

Sara nods. "Good thought, but I've already checked, she's fine. We've moved her into daddy's realm as a precaution. I don't imagine they can raid that. She's looking to see if our raiders left any traces on the internet, but so far no obvious sign."

I should have thought of that, but my mind is a fog of self pity. Okay, enough moping. I set a heap of my parallels to sleep and get the rest I clearly need, while setting others to clean out the fuzz in my head. I can be traumatized later. Blinking and feeling a bit clearer headed, I say, "when she wakes, if she wakes, we can ask her where she is, if she has any clue. But I can also follow her link, physically."

This causes some surprise, but I explain how I jumped to Donna's place earlier. It won't matter if they've got her under a mile of rock, presuming they let her wake up enough to send a room image.

Billie says, "I know this is hypocrisy on my part, but against a base of soldiers, I wouldn't recommend just charging in and attacking them alone. Even with lots of bodies."

"I was thinking of sneaking in a beacon", I say. "Then the cavalry can come and pound on them, while I pull her out."

"If they see she's gone, they're liable to just evacuate the place", Donna says. "They'd vanish back into the deniable long grass. Ideally, we need them to think they still have an asset to protect."

"Getting her out is a priority", Sara says. "But I have an idea. Jules, you have a fresh snapshot of her, don't you?"

I grin. "Pull a switcheroo? I like it. I can leave a body where she was, grab her back and they're none the wiser."

Sara nods. "Alright. That's our plan if she wakes, and is unattended for long enough."

"I can jump in camouflaged, and my teleports are silent", I add. "They'd have about half a second to spot me as a messy blur before my photophores adjust. Assuming I evade notice on entry, it wouldn't even matter if they had guards in the room. I can jump her out and create the duplicate in situ, a very brief flicker. Then they'll just be guarding the duplicate."

Sara nods. "So, what do we do if they decide to leave her on a knock-out drip for the foreseeable future, and she doesn't wake up?"

I wince. "Worst case, I can lifeboat her, although that means cutting her existing body loose."

"Which saves her, but at considerable emotional cost, and doesn't help find our enemies, leaving them free to strike again", Sara nods. "Okay, that's our worst case. Anyone have better ideas?"

While they're debating, I get a nudge from the Head. "I know you well enough to know that you and the others are hatching plans as we speak. I also know you'll want to share them, but I can't spare the time right now. I'm giving lieutenant Forsyth a link, you can discuss plans with him, and he'll pass them on to me."

"Yes, ma'am."

I tell the others. And we bring him into our little council of war group and he gets told our plans so far, which he likes. He confirms our suspicions, that it looks like the raiders were waiting for the school's defensive capacity to empty out, which suggests we're fighting precogs, an unwanted complication. After a little bit more discussion, it's clear we're not getting any further new ideas. So everyone breaks up for now.

And then finally it's me, Donna and Sara left together again - the others can see we're in need of alone time. We end up snuggling together on the bed in a hug pile, me in the middle.

"You know, I never knew how much trouble I'd be getting into when I fell in with you two", Donna says, "But I wouldn't miss it for the world. A cute daughter and a wonderful lover, I am thoroughly blessed. Even if you do end up having to fight for me - and for your other friends."

I snuggle against her. "Darrow's thoroughly gone. Draw a line under him, that chapter's over. But I'm honestly tempted to get comparably drastic with our presumed friends in government. They need to learn where the line is."

"I'd rather you not", Donna says sternly. "Not because you aren't in the right, but because of what it would do to you. I've seen how it weighed on your heart to kill those men, today. Tough girl bravado doesn't work on a mom, dear."

"I keep running back over it in my head", I say, because she isn't wrong. "They weren't expecting a thing. They hardly had time to feel it, I imagine. Just a purple blur and done. I didn't give them a chance."

Sara says, "They started it when they took Donna hostage. You're a sweetie for caring, but your judgement was right. Those two were very dangerous, they've fought on equal terms with many famous capes. But because you moved immediately to kill, they had no idea they were in a fight."

"It would be different with a base full of soldiers", Donna says. "Many of them out of uniform, men and women some not too different from me, not threatening. Your conscience would never accept it, dear. Even if they were working for kidnappers, you'd see the human in their eyes."

I sigh. "You're right, but it bothers me. They can't be let to think it's okay."

Sara says, "Let Paige take her own revenge, dear. She's what they fear, let them learn why."

That idea has appeal. "Okay, okay. Render unto Paige that which is Paige's, and about to regret it ever owned an internet connection." Which makes the two of them giggle.

To tease Donna for ganging up on me, I use my flight to pop up and quickly behind her and roll her into the middle place, making her go 'eep'. "Your turn in the middle, Donna-mama."

"Super-kids", she pretend-complains. "Little nightmares."

I snuggle up against her and send her love down the link. "Are you sure nightmare is the right word?"

"Mhm, beloved wonderful nightmares", she's a tease, but she's also clearly being distracted by what Sara's up to. I just snuggle up against the back of her and let Sara do her thing. Blending the kinds of love like this is so fun. So is feeling Donna's ecstasy through her laboured breathing and squirming, and finally, stifled cries, biting her own fist. Shy mama.

A few minutes later she's sat up on the bed, grumbling about messed up clothes. Which to be honest, what with getting stabbed and all, they've seen better days.

I say, "How about I jump you back to your bedroom, and you pick out replacements so you can stay for dinner?"

She shakes her head. "Jump me back, yes, but leave me over there, I need to get back and tidy away the mess all the police and people made, and sweep the snow clean outside. I'm feeling better dear, between the two of you you've got me all but humming a tune. And it feels like you've got your hands full. I don't doubt ARC will be collaborating on this, so I should check in and see if they have work for me."

So, with regret, many kisses, and promises to link us if there's the least sign of trouble, we have to let her go, a short jump carries us both to her room, and then she gives me a last kiss and a "thank you, dear, despite everything it was a good evening", and then I have to jump back.

Dinner is subdued, with an announcement by the Head, who sounds tired. She explains the raid, and that the school is on something like a war footing. Any pupil may leave and go home until the matter is resolved, and their grades won't be impacted. Considerable numbers of allied supers, parents, and alumni are expected to arrive tomorrow, not all of whom are heroic. If you can't handle this you are, again, free to go home. Please do not start fights with the visitors. They are here for your protection. Lessons will continue to schedule as far as possible, but may be interrupted. Please do not leave campus for any other reason.

I wonder who will be coming? And also, where they will be staying? But she doesn't say.

It looks like, temporarily, we're going to be a bit of an Autonomous Zone out here. The writ of the government no longer runs in these parts, at least until negotiations - and rescues - conclude.

Meanwhile, I've been sending love to Paige down the links, and I'm beginning to feel a slight response, sort of snuggling up against the warmth.

Maybe I can teach her to be nonphysical like I can, and be conscious when her body is not? That would improve our options.


	81. Part 81

# # Part eighty one

It turns out, "tomorrow" is more like a guideline; quite a few of our visitors are evidently not inclined to wait, as witness the orange gleam of rocket exhaust visible high above through the Crystal Hall windows. My g-sense tracks several large, dissimilar objects on inbound trajectories from very high up.

"Shit just got real", Toni says, sounding unusually subdued.

Ayla nods, looking worried. "It feels like the prelude to war."

"Let us hope cooler heads prevail", Aung, weighing in.

Billie shakes her head. "I don't want a war either, but let us also hope that we kick their asses, because you realise that the status of this place as a sanctuary is what we're playing for, here? If they can grab Paige, they can grab me, they can grab you, we're a candy bowl and it's their turn to pick. Okay with us they might have more of a fight on their hands, but we don't want them seeing it as a tactical problem. We want them seeing it as a strategic thou shalt not."

"I said they'd launch a nuke", Ayla says. "I can see them thinking that a surgical snatch is so much less messy."

I say, "My suspicion is they won't think that when we're done."

Looking at the descending rocket plumes of a drop-ship, passing out of sight behind buildings, throwing strange wavering shadows and then winking out, Ayla nods. "I believe you're right."

Meanwhile, I've had an idea. "Lieutenant Forsyth, got a minute?", I ask over the link.

"Yeah sure, what do you have for me?"

"I've got something we could add into the tactical planning. You know how I can follow the link and get to wherever they're holding Paige?" He nods. "Okay so, once I've been there, I'll have the coordinates, I can go back and forth as often as I want. Now add to that, I should also be able to use my gravity sense to find the empty space of the sky above, and blind jump a copy there, that will give me usable coordinates up there where there's lots of room. Thinking about the spaceships we've presently got visiting, I was nudged by a memory of those detachable warp sleds they use in various sci-fi movies. I can carry people with me when I teleport, at least one, maybe more than one. And I have as many bodies as I please, enough for everybody. The warp sled is me."

There's a pause as he thinks it through, then a feeling of awe. "You can carry a whole army, and drop it at their door."

"Jump them all right in, up in the sky above and a team directly inside below to pincer their defence. I let the flyers loose to enter aerial combat, and carry the non flyers down to ground level. And then cue the ass kicking."

He grins. "Okay. I will pass that on, because that sounds like a breakthrough. Good thinking, kid."

Initially when I got back, I was thinking of telling Billie I had to cancel the flying practise we talked about this morning. But now I'm feeling kind of fired up to. So as we head out of the Crystal Hall, I tell her my ideas. "How about this. Rather than just shove myself through the air on a gravity gradient like I've been doing, I part the air ahead, like opening a zipper, and pull it together behind, so I'm basically free-falling at vacuum speeds in a bubble of still air. And rather than doing turns by thrusting, I do them by bending the space and keeping my momentum."

She looks curious. "I suppose with me it's always just been wish and go, as easy as moving my hand. But hmm. I could try that trick with momentum, although I'd do it a different way. That sounds fun to try. Maybe we can pull some really tight turns like that."

"And without air drag, some really fast stops and starts too, on my part. You know, you should try and see if you can extend your bubble of 'what is gravity' outwards?"

"I've never tried that", she says.

"Gotta be doing it at least a little, or you'd leave your clothes behind when you pull high gees."

"Huh, point. And you reckon I can do this slipstream kinda thing too?"

"Wouldn't hurt to try. Even if you can just extend your ignore-gravity field out in like a pointy shape around you, it should cut air resistance. But if you can grab and move the air, you should be able to go supersonic without a boom."

"Probably best to avoid that over the campus right now", she grins. "But we can try the principle."

Getting outside, it's obvious how busy things are. Several ships have landed, some sprouting habitation modules, techno-yurts, inflatable domes. Not really a place for casual fast flying, but floating a couple feet up works for the thing I'm trying to do. Turns out it isn't that hard to separate the flow of air around me, and guide it back together. Might get harder if I go fast. But I pick up quickly on another problem when I start getting warnings from my life sense - I'm hypoxic! I drop down to the ground and squat, getting my breath back. Billie floats over looking concerned. "You okay?"

"Yeah... I will be", I say around deep breaths. "Forgot... gas exchange."

"Oh yeah, point", she says. "That doesn't seem to affect me. But it's stale air, isn't it?"

I nod. "I'll have to see if I can't resupply it. Or resupply myself directly, I should be aiming at vacuum capable, I think."

"Planning on spaceflight?"

"Planning on not having limitations where someone can sit over my head, blow raspberries and drop rocks on me."

That brings a laugh from an unexpected direction, an adult man who has evidently been listening in. "An answer after my own heart." He has a red wrap-around jacket on, greying red hair, and two pointy 'horns' of white hair that stick up. Yeah, I know this guy.

"Welcome to Whateley, sir", I say, "and thank you. I'm Parallel, this is Tennyo, we were practising a new idea for flying. Am I correct I'm addressing Dr. Diabolik?"

He nods, "So they call me. I enjoyed your radio broadcast yesterday. Thank you for your answer to Jadis."

I smile. "I was worried in the way she was, when I first discovered what was going on. But reassured by how it was affecting my friends who weren't sexual. I'm glad I could allay her fears."

He looks thoughtful, and nods. "Why did you choose to make the particular enhancement you did, focusing on love? And not, say, intelligence?"

"I'm not sure it won't affect intelligence, it's early days. It's a tropism towards complex order, and intelligence is order. As to why, that was the gap that needed filling. Life laws did let us evolve intelligence, but more by fluke than anything else, and they used to do nothing to prevent it diverging or being overrun. It should hold together now, and tend to increase, although with mutualism folded in. Intelligence without preservation of values gets you nowhere good."

"You may have done my project more good than I knew, then. Have you heard of the Smile agenda? It stands for Space Migration, Intelligence Increase, and Life Extension."

I shake my head. "Haven't heard it before, but that sounds like something I can get behind. Kind of close to my own agenda although with a different slant. I'm intending to pull humans closer to Great old Ones. That's protection, as well as enhancement. It should definitely make you all a lot harder to kill permanently. Should improve your chances for space travel too."

He makes a small grimace, kinda frown, kinda disgusted. "I wish it were so simple as having humans suited to the rigors of long travel. Look around this field and tell me what you don't see."

I look. Various craft, I recognise the Amazing Three's Techno Trike from when it picked up Jade before. I don't know the others. But I can take a guess what they are from the size and design. This one is a drop-ship, that one is suborbital, and so forth. Given they form a pattern, what is missing? It takes me a moment, and I'm cued by his word, migration.

"What I don't see is true spaceships. Hoppers and droppers, yes. Nothing designed to go and stay. Cars, not wagons."

Billie looks around. "Huh, I guess you have a point there."

"Good eyes. Yes." He chuckles. "I'm overdue now, and I must be on my way. But I suggest you consider that gap, what is causing it, and what that means for both your plans and mine." He gives a bow, which I return in kind, and heads off at a walk, looking perhaps a bit happy. Hmm.

Billie waits until he's out of earshot and says, "I wonder what he's up to? It feels like he was trying to steer you."

"He did steer me", I say. "He's implying someone's got their thumb on the scales. And corollary, someone big enough *he* hasn't been able to make them stop."

Billie winces at that. "I see. And they're likely to be trouble for you."

"To the extent my agenda aligns with his, they already are."

Later, as I'm lying in bed, for the first time over here I find it hard to sleep. Poor Paige! I know she's safe from death, but she doesn't deserve this trauma. Pushing myself to rest, I decide to use my dreams to try and get as close to her as I can, and see if I can encourage her to extend herself into the nonphysical. Dreams should be more similar to unconsciousness than waking mind is. Maybe that is the bridge I need.

Slowly, gradually, I find I can pick out her sensations down the link. It feels like the occasional slight murmuring and shifting of a deep sleeper. So, let's try communicating with images. I'll start with something deliberately simple. A world of endless sunlit, windblown tall grass on gently rolling hills, blowing in great waves off to the horizon. Sending it to her over the link, and then it feels like I'm somehow pulled closer into connection with her, and it's not over the link any more, she's *here*. Asleep on the grass, in her full were form, twitching and kicking her paws gently, with me sat next to her cross-legged. Am I dream walking?

"Yes you are, dear. Nice world, by the way." Guess who.

I grin, as Sara drops into a cross-leg sit beside me. "Thanks. Got ideas how we should do this?"

"Why don't we go with your instincts. This is your world, after all."

What are my instincts telling me? They're telling me Paige is very cute, and that I want to pet her. So I do. Her fur is soft and deep, much fluffier and finer than the bear I petted yesterday, if not quite so lose-your-hand-in-it deep.

Speaking of deep, there's a deep rrrrm, rrrrm sound, that it takes me a moment to place.

She's purring.

Sara joins in, and we stroke her, quietly enjoying the purr, in no hurry. Time passes here without much sense of it passing.

And then, with no fanfare, Paige shakes herself, stretches, yawns, bounds up, and trots off to chase ripples and waves of grass, ignoring the two of us entirely.

We watch, she's very cute. I add in some colourful butterflies to give her things to run after and pounce upon, which she happily does.

"Thoughts?" I say to Sara.

"Don't overthink it", she says. "I've found that the best way to work in dreams is to go with the flow, steer very lightly, trust your feelings. We already have a breakthrough. Now we just gently widen it." She has a stick in her hand. "Catch!" And Paige bounds after it.

I grin as she returns with the stick, looks around a bit confused, drops it. Sara picks it up and throws again, and Paige is off in a flash.


	82. Part 82

# # Part eighty two

Time runs differently in dreams, but it does run. We were able to get Paige to see us, after some effort, and be responsive (and very cute), but she remained stuck in kitty form. Even so, it gives us hope, we'll keep chattering and sharing things with her over the link, and see if it helps her move more of her mind into the nonphysical.

I have to admit that what we're doing feels a little like make-work, although it might nudge the strategic needle. If nothing else, it'll help Paige feel a little better, she gets to play around and be petted in her dreams.

It feels strange to be facing a day of lessons with a near-war hovering over our heads. But I suppose, less strange than the absolute dislocation we'd feel if it all suddenly stopped dead.

I check my emails, and unsurprisingly there's a few extras and changes. Dyffud wants to see me in first through second period every day, which means he's overlapping his lesson with sensei Tolman's class, the cross-over there should be interesting. I'm sure he didn't do that by accident. There's a council of war with the Head in third period with a warning it might overrun into lunch, but food would be provided. Doc Bellows wants me in at fourth period, rather than waiting for tomorrow. I guess he's worried at the amount of alligators I've found myself ass-deep in. An image which makes me giggle.

It seems like Billie has contacts in the flight side of things, and so I've got an offer to switch me from the flight class that I don't particularly need any more, to remedial tutoring for a flying license, which I do. I gladly accept that, although I'm a bit sad it means less time with Billie.

Oh, and, Grimes won't be taking Necromancy. They don't say who will, nor why. I kind of suspect that my business with Caitlin and Cat yesterday may have been a factor.

Hmm hmm, what else? An email from Doyle, asking if I'd like to be on their next first aid course. It wouldn't do much, but it would qualify me to bandage cut fingers and things. I send back a yes to that. I've taken courses, but not in this universe.

I can feel Erin coming up behind me, and her arms go around me, and I snuggle back up against her. "Hey roomie."

"Hey to you too", she says. "Planning on getting in any wars today?"

"Not sure", I admit. "Depends when Paige wakes up."

"I worry", she admits. "I know I shouldn't, but I do. If I can help, just say."

I nod. "If I can, but it's not likely to be my call. I doubt they'll be asking students to fight, not even the powerhouses like Billie. They're gonna need me to get them all there, but I bet I'll be ordered to run back home as soon as the fighting starts." I sigh. "I'm worried too. Mainly for Paige, but well, we are going to war with what's almost certainly a branch of the government. It's going to take some fast talking to smooth over that."

"If anyone can do it, Carson can", she says. And I have to nod to that.

A short while later, as I'm grabbing my usual two seats for breakfast, my eye catches on the Alpha table, where there's been a total shake-up in personnel. "Did something happen to the Alphas while I was out?", I ask Billie.

She nods, "The Kodiak chucked Tansy, Hamper and Damper out at lunchtime, invited a bunch of club presidents in. He's the new top Alpha. He sent us a message that Tansy's deal is still on, but we gotta apologise to him instead. Jerk. But I figure he won't do badly."

Huh. I suppose my attitude to Tansy has changed since I got here, because I'm feeling sympathy for her. "Never met Hamper and Damper yet."

"You haven't missed any good company, then", Billie says, "They're assholes."

"Rumour has it they tried to rape someone", Toni adds. "I wouldn't put it past them. They're dangerous, because their power lets them get away with stuff."

"Jules would kick their ass", Jade asserts. Which is probably true, but...

"I'd rather not have to", I say. "I've had my fill of fights I couldn't escape, let alone starting them. Also now I have a body count, go me. I know that isn't unique around these parts, but well, it's new to me."

I think Toni and Ayla are the only ones who don't have one yet. I get sympathetic looks from around the table. Billie says, "Yeah, it sneaks up on you, a while after the adrenalin wears off. Best not to dwell on it, I think. You did what you had to."

"Never snuck up on me", says Jade, she of the zombie army.

"Yeah, but you're the cutest sociopath in Whateley", Billie teases back. "I'm mildly surprised you aren't tallying skulls on your bunk."

"Not enough room", Jade says. Which makes everyone laugh, but I think she was half serious.

First two periods, I have two different kinds of martial training, and necromancy - with Sara and without Grimes.

Dyffud is sitting in lotus when I walk in, and he smiles and opens his eyes. "Welcome, Jules. Shall we meditate before we begin?"

I can do that, so I drop into lotus myself, rest my attention on my breath, and allow my mind to clear.

And immediately I get antsy. Can't we start the lesson? Never mind that I've got two other bodies in lessons, and me over in Gothmog's place twice too - I want something to *happen*... and looking at that thought, I know there's nothing that could be enough, because the underlying feeling is nerves. I want to rush in and get it over with. It's not even sensible fear with a reason that could be addressed. Just sort of free floating anxiety. Oh well, I suppose, own it - I acknowledge that right now I'm feeling anxiety.

And owning it does help to calm it. I can feel the muscle tension I wasn't paying attention to, relaxing. My desire to pace the room like Darth Maul is greatly reduced.

"Much better", says Dyffud. "Now we can begin. We'll start with some simple strikes and blocks." I smile and stand up, ready.

Necromancy class fills up with people and everyone's speculating. Is Grimes ill? Who will take the class? Circe walking in and saying "quiet, please" at least answers the second.

She continues, "Good morning everyone. I'm afraid that Ms Grimes has removed herself from taking this class, and so I shall be taking it for the rest of the term. Since I don't know everybody, why don't we start with introductions? I'm Circe, I'm the head of the Mystic Arts department, you may call me Ms Circe if you feel the need to be polite. Now, let's begin with you, codename and a little about yourself please?" And we go around the class. Sara says "Carmilla, demon princess of lust", which gets a few grins and a glower from the Buffy wannabe. I say "Parallel, friendly eldritch abomination" and get my own scowl from her. Yeah, you had your chance, miss stabby.

When we've all had a go, Circe says. "Alright, in today's class, we will be discussing the incident behind Ms Grimes' departure. Miss Parallel, could you come forward?" Oh hey. This will be fun. Buffy-girl's look goes from "I stab u" to "what the freaking heck". Sara gives my hand a squeeze. I stand and walk out to the front.

She continues, "Now, some aspects of this incident relate to personal secrets, so we'll be talking about it in a rather abstract way. None the less, I assure you it happened, as I was personally present. And the question I will be posing to you is, is this necromancy? And so we begin. Miss Parallel here has discovered that someone is suffering because their beloved has died. She contrives a way to offer the sufferer a linkage that can be thrown across to the soul of the lost lover. This she is then able to use by creating a body - Miss Parallel, why don't you create a rather generic boy body?"

Uh okay, I've never even thought about doing boy, but I suppose I can. A me appears, male, brown haired, average looking, but in a girl's uniform, causing laughter. "Sorry, didn't have a boy's uniform available", I say. Ouch, this is surprisingly dysphoric.

Circe picks up, "Better than naked, hmm? Indeed. Miss Parallel created a body to suit the soul's described preferences, and then moved her own soul's attachments to the body aside, and attached the soul she was rescuing in her place. So now they are simply alive, as alive as you or me. They will live as normal a human life as any one of us. You may vanish the demonstration body", I give a smile of thanks. Ugh. I do not like being male at all. "During all this, no necromantic magic was used. The soul was not forced, but offered an option. No dead body was used as a vessel. And yet, now there is somebody newly alive who has been dead for a considerable time. So. Is this necromancy? Raise hands to talk, please."

I guess my legend just got a little bigger.

While I'm readying to fight in Dyffud's class, I'm changing into my gi in Tolman's. It's nice to meet these folks again, particularly Riley who I hit it off with last time. We should make time to hang out together outside class, although I find myself wondering if the inevitable rumours are gonna put her off.

"Is it true you killed the Necromancer?" that's Thumper.

I nod. "Tore up his soul, he's not coming back." I bet they got as much from the rumour mill, so there's no point hiding it.

That does get a few winces around the changing room. She continues, "Only I was wondering, how come you could and all the others couldn't?"

I've got my gi on, so I continue the conversation as we head out into the room. "Really it was mostly luck. He used a weapon he should have left at home if he knew what I am. When he attacked someone who I already had linkage to, he gave me a trace that I could follow. And he didn't have defenses from what I am at that level."

Sensei Tolman has been listening in and she nods. "Luck's important. But it wasn't luck alone that Miss Parallel here used to win yesterday, it was quick thinking in a crisis, and spotting the opportunity. Today's lesson, we'll be looking at how you turn a momentary mistake by your opponent into a chance for a lock, a throw, or an opening to strike. Miss Parallel, today you're my demonstration uke."

Me and my mouth, heh. Although on the other hand, it might disperse any rumours of my infallibility.

Of course over on Dyffud's side I'm always going to be the uke. But I'm learning fast. I strike, he makes a small movement to block and I learn that, he strikes, I learn the strike and try one of his counters. It's similar to over on the other side, but there we're learning large movements. Here, I'm picking up barely visible shifts of position and short counters that open up holes in the other side's defenses.

"Do you think Sensei Tolman's lessons are useless?", he asks, without missing a beat in the to-and-fro exchange.

"I think they're different", I say, trying to do the same. "I won't learn as much technique from them. I might learn more about moderating my strength and working with a partner. I don't feel like I'm endangering you."

He chuckles. "For now, perhaps. Yes, you're learning the right lesson. Patience, care. And don't underestimate the weak ones. That I hope you will also learn over there."

I nod, turning a block into an elbow strike, which he catches and turns aside.


	83. Part 83

# # Part eighty three

In the end, the class predictably splits into factions. The Necromancy-is-as-necromancy-does faction, led by Beltane and Nightbane, who either don't believe my assertions of simultaneous incarnation, or flat out don't like me, and the saving-people-is-good one, led by Bluejay and Sara. It was an interesting discussion, but I'm honestly a bit worried about how non-abstract Circe let it get. I don't want to leak Caitlin's secret, and she gave away a lot of clues. According to the Greek myths I recall reading, Circe wasn't always nice, and I have a feeling she's enjoying stirring the pot.

I think also, Beltane likes Ms Grimes, and is grumpy to have lost a class with her. My apologies, but I didn't make her do that.

At the end of Dyffud's class, we do another meditation. I've absorbed a lot, and had to be careful not to use the techniques a couple of times in Sensei Tolman's class, that would have annoyed her. Still, it has been good for my unwanted scary reputation for everyone to see me tossed around like a rag-doll. Nobody looks badass playing uke. In breath, out breath, calm the mind and let the memories consolidate.

All change, for third period. I've got ranges with Caitlin, my new flight certification class - for which I have, oddly, been asked to meet the instructor in the devisor vehicle lab - and last but far from least, the council of war.

Rather than vanish and split, this time I send my two sweaty selves back to Poe to strip and grab a short shower, before heading to ranges and flight. The email about flight class specified to bring my costume if I have one, and I'm looking forward to seeing how well it handles the air, and whether I need to ask for alterations.

The devisor lab is predictably dark and greasy, if much larger than one would expect. I don't think this will ever be my domain, I'm not particularly fond of machines that go vroom. How it relates to flight, well, patience.

"Ah, hello, Miss Parallel?" There's a short guy standing by the rear roll-up doors - alongside, unexpectedly, Billie.

"That's me", I smile.

"I'm Eugene Buttons, I'll be your flight instructor, and Tennyo here will be my assistant. Could you get changed into your costume, please?"

There's a trick I've been practising, where I hold the suit up with tentacles and just keep walking as I step into it, vanishing each piece of my uniform only at the last possible moment, to minimize flashing. I do that, and it works nicely. Zip up the back, slap on the mask, and I'm good to go. As soon as Mr Buttons picks his chin up off the floor. And Billie stops laughing. Okay so I admit that was a little naughty.

Mr Buttons clears his throat, reasserting his dignity. "Ahem. Very expedient. You might be wondering where we will be flying today. And the answer is, Utah." The back door whirrs, and starts trundling open, and it isn't opening underground at all, but through a warp that I can feel, and on the other side is wide open space. "The Kennecott Salt Flats. Used by devisors for machine testing, and we'll be using it today to see what your speed and height envelope is. We've pre-booked the air space here, and provided you stay within the bounds of that, you will not collide with anything except, and I hope not, the ground."

Other me makes her way into the range, and gets a grin from Caitlin, who is honestly looking a bit transformed. As soon as everyone's in, she says, "Class, we have a late joiner. June here comes to us with some experience handling weapons, but she still needs to qualify like any of the rest of you runts. Say hi, make nice, and then get to your assigned stations. Today, we're bringing out the heavy iron." I say hi to June, who I first met yesterday under another name. We'll have you back to range instructor in a jiffy, Cat. Ooh, and the really big tripod-mounted guns Caitlin is handing out one to a station look like they are gonna be fun.

The council of war will be meeting in Schuster Hall, in the big lecture hall, which I haven't visited yet. When I get there, security is busy checking guests in off a list. The hall is full of people, some in plain clothes, some in costumes spanning the range from minimalist through grimdark to ornate. I see that there's an amount of mutual glaring going on, and as the security woman escorts me to my seat, I see we've got assigned places with name tags. Important to make sure nobody sits the Joker next to Batman, I presume. Not that anyone is risking a plague of lawyers by cosplaying DC properties. And I have to remind myself, to these people, this isn't cosplay. Some of them genuinely do have secret identities. As do I, I suppose, although it's not a particularly grand secret.

Oddly enough, they've seated me beside Dr. Diabolik. I smile a greeting, although the place is a bit loud for more than "Hi, nice to see you again", and he says "Likewise, charmed."

"Alright, quieten down!" It's Ms Hartford at the podium, hushing a room full of heroes and supervillains like they were an unruly class. "Quiet, please! We are about to go into session. Will anyone who is recording please stop. I don't care about your justification, I care about not making the job of a future prosecutor easy. Because as I am sure you are well aware, what we are doing today is likely to be in violation of the law. Yes, I see that some of you hold that in contempt, but please be aware that we eventually intend the school to return to politely neutral terms with our local government, and a bit of plausible deniability would be helpful."

She watches a reading on a gadget, and then nods. "Alright, close the doors, council in session." I can feel a spell go up, and it reminds me of Fey's anti-snoop bubbles. She continues, "Here is the headmistress, to explain our little problem."

On the salt flat, I've got precision coordinates in my head now of where the boundaries of our permitted airspace is, it's pretty big. Should allow me to stretch my wings nicely. I had some time yesterday to work out the principles of slipstreaming and bend-turns at really low speed, but now I get to be a bit more ambitious. Let's hope I can avoid losing a body, because if I go as fast as I'm considering and I mess up, I'll hit the empty air like a bug hitting a windshield. Splat!

My slipstreaming approach now is to use the local air bubble only for pressure. I'll be creating and destroying the gases I need directly in my bloodstream as it passes through my lungs, allowing me to experience breathing without needing fresh air. Meanwhile I'll be making the air in front as I fly fall aside with a g-field, braking it and then making it fall back together and stop still neatly as I pass. It should be silent, and free from friction or rammed air heating. I may have to run up my heater as I go higher, I won't be convecting heat but I'll be radiating it away. We'll see.

In the council, the Head comes to the podium. "Good morning. Thank you all for responding to our distress call. At one thirty-five PM yesterday, while the school had emptied of its most senior staff to respond to a distress call, fifteen soldiers armed with sophisticated devisor stunner weapons and wearing winter white camouflage broke into my school, stunning several of my students and kidnapping one of them, retreating via destination-scrubbed teleport." She switches on a projector, which is showing an image of Paige. "This is codename Cyberkitty, a freshman in Hawthorne Cottage, our kidnap victim. She is also known by another name, and I am informed by her advisor that she was about to make it public - she is the Circuit Breaker."

The room suddenly gets very loud.

Over on the salt flats, it's very quiet. I'm about four feet up above the ground and barely subsonic, with Billie keeping pace beside me, playing with adjusting my fields as I make bends to turn my direction and then throw up a g-field to brake to a stop. Mr Buttons' lips are moving, but his voice comes out of the in-ear bud of the radio pickup I'm wearing. "Seven hundred and fifty miles per hour, that's quite a clip. Shall we call that your maximum speed?"

"No, that was just the warm-up", I say. "Now, I plan to test cruising speed." Which, if I have my calculations right, should be just a shade under eight kilometers per second. Lazy speed - I won't need to input gees to keep myself up, if I'm orbiting. At ground level.

Slipstream up, calculated forces ready to roll, I drop a sharp gravity gradient on myself and off we go. Mach one, two, five - big me slides forward to keep the calculations straight - nine, fifteen, twenty, twenty three... the planet's gravity falls away as the Earth curves away under me as fast as I'm dropping. And although the area we have to play in is very big, I'm rather rapidly approaching its edge. But no mind, I'll just make a bend turn. The world snap-rotates around me without changing my momentum and I continue merrily on, make another bend turn to avoid the next edge, and now I'm orbiting back towards Mr Button. Drop another carefully calculated field on myself to brake... and I pull to a dead stop right in front of him. There may be a certain amount of smirking happening.

"You know what", he says, in a calm tone of voice. "I think we can call that fast enough for today."

I drop the slipstream, float myself down to the ground. "Yeah, that's as fast as I was planning on going."

"I'm glad to hear it", is his deadpan response.

"Quiet!" Mrs Carson bangs her fist on the lectern and the resulting boom is loud enough to shut up a noisy room full of supers. "Thank you. Yes, she is a powerful child. But her power does not change the fact that she is a pupil under my charge, as are many of your sons and daughters, and I will not permit her to be snatched from under our noses by some presumed government agency that thinks its whims are bigger than our neutrality here. Or where would it end? Which of you could be sure of safety?" There's murmurs of agreement. "Alright. And so, I would like to talk about the strategy that we've put together as a starting point for discussion. Miss Parallel, if you could please come forward?"

Oh hey, it's everyone-look-at-me time again.

But even as I'm being gawked at, another part of me is joyful. In the dream world of endless grass I've been keeping going, Paige, who has become responsive to her name, stretches, yawns, curls up - and shifts into her catgirl self. Eyes blink open. "Nyaaa, where am I? I don't remember this place. Oh hi Jules! What happened?"

"Long story", I say. And then I start to tell it.


	84. Part 84

# # Part eighty four

Everyone in the council is looking at me. Even with my new capabilities it's overwhelming.

Mrs Carson says, "I would normally not wish to involve a student in this matter at all. But Miss Parallel has several capabilities that make her essential. She can create and vanish duplicate bodies", I demonstrate by putting another half dozen of me up front, "Thank you. She can teleport herself and at least one other person per body, allowing her to move our whole army in one jump. She has a means which allows her not only to communicate with her friend, regardless of distance, once she awakens from sedation, but also to blind teleport to where she is, and as soon as she arrives, acquire coordinates for us all to follow her. And last but not least, she has a means of shaping her appearance to look like her friend, permitting a switch to be made."

I notice the Head isn't letting on that I can clone people. This is probably not the crowd you'd want to have knowing that. Some of them might get itchy about their own security. So let's play like it's a game of illusions. I make a Paige-body and use it to say "I believe I should be able to grab Cyberkitty, fetch her safely back, and plant a ringer in one swoop. They won't know they've been compromised." I vanish the Paige-body again. Fur feels disturbingly good.

"What if they see you on a camera", a native American looking woman asks. "Won't that give the game away?"

I say, "That shouldn't be a problem" - and I engage my thermoptic camouflage on all my bodies there, hiding everything but my teeth and eyes, and then closing those in all bodies but the one speaking, making a murmur go around the room. "If I can jump in at a part of the room that is out of camera sight - I'll ask Cyberkitty to help with that - my camouflage should adjust to make me crudely invisible over a spectrum from ultraviolet to infrared in about two tenths of a second. For about another three tenths, I'll be at less than full resolution, and look a little blurry - but only if I'm against a pattern. Against block colour like typical institutional paint, it won't show." I switch off my camouflage and reappear all of my bodies.

A really muscular looking black guy, who I recognise as Dr Simpson from Jade's little adventure in babysitting, says "It sounds like, as soon as she wakes up, you pop in with your camouflage up, switch her for the ringer and bring her back here, and at that point it's no longer a rescue mission, because as I understand it, you can vanish that ringer at will. There's nobody left in that base we need to rescue."

Mrs Carson picks that one up. "You are correct. At that point, it becomes a punishment mission. Our intention is to close down whatever they regard as their base, and take their leadership into custody until we can negotiate an appropriate apology from their employer. Once we've taken control, we will ensure they evacuate the area, and then, well, for this I'll hand you over to Dr. Diabolik."

My new friend stands up with a nod. "I have children in this school, and I believe a clear message needs to be sent. Once the area is clear, I will instruct one of my Mjölnir orbital platforms to deliver three hyper-velocity hard projectiles. One for each of my children, and one for our kidnap victim. I believe that will be a sufficiently visible object lesson."

That makes a lot of people wince. I haven't studied those things, but from people's attitudes, I'm guessing they're nuke level. I guess we really are rather serious.

Still, Dr. Simpson missed a point. I say, "We don't yet know that Cyberkitty is the only kidnap victim. I may be able to ferry others I discover to safety, but my ability to duplicate them from a short glance is more limited, it won't fool close examination, I may have to leave them behind until the full invasion. And we won't know anything about prisoners in other rooms, I doubt I'll be able to slip a body out and sneak around exploring. I suggest assuming it's still a rescue mission until whatever location they're at is scoured clean." That makes several of the heroic types look a bit more relaxed, and the Head nods, "Good point."

We're interrupted by an entirely unexpected knocking at the lecture room doors. The Head says, "Ms Hartford, if you will? Quiet, no secrets please, everyone, until the wards are back up."

Ms Hartford opens the doors and glowers at the very young looking girl who's standing there. She looks like an age peer with Jade. A little rounded, and wearing a size-too-big uniform to hide it. "Well Miss... ahem, Chaosdancer, what is it? This is a council in session and we do not have time for student nonsense unless it is genuinely urgent." I think she was about to use a real name, and realised how many ears were listening.

The kid says, "You need me, Ms Hartford. This council needs me."

"Oh and why is that?"

"Because you are facing a precog. If I am not involved, your plans will be anticipated and the result will be a loss."

The Head says, "Let her in, Amelia. If she says we need her, then we need her."

Ms Hartford nods, lets the girl in and closes the door. "Very well." A look passes between the two - I suspect, Ms Hartford already lost the argument about involving students at all. That look says "you've already overridden me, what's one more."

The girl comes forward, I vanish the spare bodies to make room for her, and she looks at the council. "Hello, I know you all but you'll have to introduce yourselves to me later. I'm called Chaosdancer. I'm a bit loose in time, and it messes with precognition." She gives a curtsey, which is extremely cute. Although there are a few of the people here with migraine frowns who don't seem to be buying the cute.

And speaking of cute...

Paige doesn't have anything of strategic use to help us yet. She remembers being surprised when a bunch of adults burst into her room, then a sensation like electrical shock. "Not the same though, or I'd have just eaten the current. Some devisor thing. Next I knew, I was waking up in a field with dreams of chasing butterflies." We aren't in the field any more, Sara brought us all into her dream-room once Paige was lucid. We're snuggled around Paige in the bed giving her hugs.

"Your kitty self seemed to like the butterflies", I tease lightly.

"They were very pretty, but frustrating", she says. "I kept catching one and there was another teasing me. Thank you for that, it was fun. You know, I can hardly believe I'm here thinking, and yet I'm unconscious. What am I even thinking with?"

"Your soul, dear", Sara says. "I think we're rubbing off on you" And she does the 'yes that was a double entendre' eyebrow wiggle. Which makes us both giggle uncontrollably for a bit.

Once we get our breath back, Paige says, "Am I turning into a GOO?"

"Do you want to?" Sara asks. It's clear that's a genuine offer, same as the one she gave me.

Paige shakes her head. "Not right now, I might later. But I think maybe I want to go a little way down that road if it gives me stuff I can use like this."

"I believe we can manage that", Sara says. "What you're doing now is just using a part of your mind all humans have but most can't do anything with, because they have no feedback. We gave you enough feedback that your self, which was starved of stuff to do in a switched off brain, migrated its focus over here to where the fun was."

Paige nods. "Do you think I'll be able to split my attention, here and not, once I'm awake? I'm a little envious of you Jules, with your multiple minds. I've got me and Mai, but usually only one of us can front. Reminds me, Mai doesn't seem to be here."

I say, "Perhaps Mai finds the idea of thinking without a physical brain difficult to accept?" I look to Sara, "Do you think we can spark her for multiple mind threads? Now she's here, she should have the potential. Souls are intrinsically multiple."

Sara looks thoughtful. Paige is going "Pleeeease!" and doing sad-kitty eyes in a completely transparent attempt to manipulate us, which is working very nicely. Sara says, "Paige, you aren't a warper like Jules, and I used that when I sparked her. But I'll have a look and a think, and maybe. I promise I'll try, is that good enough?"

Paige nods. "Thanks, both of you. I have the best family." And there's only a small catch before the word 'family'. We both hug her close.

In flight, I'm rated as having no top speed and no vertical ceiling. That simplifies matters, although I'm still not completely happy with my need to maintain an artificial pressure bubble at height. I've got my own copy of the book Billie loaned me (already read hers, but I'll double check in case there have been revisions). And next lesson will be more conventional, we'll be learning basic maneuvers and how to talk on the radio. I'll see if I can't make myself some instruments before then. Perhaps I can interface them to the links?

At the range, Caitlin has been avoiding any too obvious favouring of June, but her grin is irrepressible. I'm so happy for the two of them.

The council meeting is breaking up after they passed a vote to go with the plan pretty much as is. I'm to tell the Head as soon as I get in contact with a conscious Paige. They don't need to know about the unconscious contact, since she can't give me jump directions yet. Everyone has agreed to be ready at a one hour warning to scramble for the big attack. And the Head has asked me to find out with the powers testing people how much I can carry per body in a teleport. Chaosdancer is assigned to stick with me in the hope she will mess with their precogs. I hope she doesn't miss too many lessons, perhaps I can go with her to hers?

I've been thinking about Dr Diabolik. It feels to me like, he has potential as someone we can draw into our inner circle and include in the plan to help humanity. It feels like he's already substantially on side, there's just stuff he doesn't know yet. I pass the idea to Sara and Paige, and they both agree. And so as we're heading out, I catch his eye, and step aside. He gets the hint, and follows. When I think we're out of earshot I say, "There's something I want to include you in, if you're interested."

"Oh?" I think I see a bit of suspicion, I won't be the first person who's come to him with a half-baked scheme or a plea to become a henchperson. I'll have to be careful how I phrase this.

"You heard my radio interview. So you know in outline what I am, and you know what I changed. What I don't think you yet know, what the Head explicitly asked me not to speak about, is that what I did was make a move in a game. A big move, one that changes the rules, but neither the first move nor the last. And the game has an opponent. I believe knowing about that will be important for your mission. It may help to explain some of the problems you've encountered."

He rubs his chin, thoughtfully. "Let us say I am curious, but not yet convinced."

I smile. "A first bit of down-payment towards convincing you, perhaps you wondered how I'm in contact with Cyberkitty?"

He chuckles and nods. "The account in council very clearly left a lot of holes. Assertions about what you could do, a careful stepping around how or why."

"The assertions of what I can do were pretty full of gaps too. Here's one. I am in communication with her, using a GOO magic based, soul level, ansible communication system that I call 'the links'. One I've already used for far more than just communication and telepathy. I've already used it once to defeat death. It is designed to be passed on virally by mutual consent. Anyone who has it can give it to people. Would you like to have a link? If the answer is yes, just mentally reach for it."

I feel the link connect.


	85. Part 85

# # Part eighty five

"Welcome to a larger world", I say down the link. "You should be able to reply by just thinking at it as if you were going to speak."

He takes a moment, and then says "Hello?" down the link in reply.

"There, you're connected in. You should be able to give out links the same way I did, but I recommend thinking carefully about whether they can be trusted with it, and whether they have good judgement as to who to pass it along to in turn."

He nods thoughtfully. "I... see. And this is superluminal?"

"Instantaneous would be more accurate. It's hosted at a level where time and space don't really apply. It should also be secure against snooping by almost everyone. The exceptions to that, unfortunately, include our opponent."

"Ah." He looks thoughtful. "I believe I start to see your motivations in this. A whole communications technology, as you say, at the soul level. You are showing me that something which I had regarded as a matter for priests and something with which I did not deal, is both a locus of technology, and by implication a wide open weakness."

"And a locus of migration. But yes, exactly."

He raises an eyebrow at that. "And your opponent, I presume, is another GOO?"

"The famous one, whose name begins with a C, who I strongly suggest *not* naming on the links."

"That... fiction, exists?" That comes across as a bit incredulous.

I make a grimace. "Let's just say, I want someone else to tell you *that* story. It will cause you to wince. My apologies in advance."

He chuckles. "Accepted in advance. And who is this someone else? Although I believe I can guess."

"You probably guessed right. Sara Waite, Carmilla. The other GOO on campus, the one who sparked me, and the one with more experience at it."

He nods. "And you wish to arrange a meeting?"

"By unconventional means", I smile. "Find a moment after lunchtime to grab a nap. Or a deep meditation should work equally well, I think."

"Really?" he looks amused.

I nod. "Like I said, a larger world."

"I shall look forward to it", he nods. "Until then." He gives a bow, which I return, and heads off.

Good, I think that went nicely.

I update Sara and Paige as I head in to lunch. Sara thinks she can easily pull him into the dream room, using the links. With enough notice that Paige can put some clothes on, heh. Happy distractions prevent dwelling on uncomfortable situations - the same technique Sara used on me, there.

Sara meets us at the Pack table, which feels strange without Paige, but she's clearly distracted herself. Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen her move around and maintain a dream room at the same time, except that once with me, in similar circumstances. She catches my look and chuckles. "Yeah, I'm here and I'm there. At the moment I'm dividing my attention, but I'm trying to have dual attention. I know it ought to be possible."

"For Paige?", I guess.

She nods. "Yeah, if I can learn it, I can teach it. I've been lazy, leaning on you a bit. Time to pick up my own game."

I can understand the feelings behind that, and I give her a hug. "Neither of us was there, or we would have defended her."

"I was just down a level and along. I heard it, you know?" Sara sighs. "Around here, some idiot running around with zap guns doesn't stick out from the usual din. Devisors and their toys. And they got to her before she thought to use the mark."

"Good planning on their part, bad luck on ours", I agree. "Not always will we get a chance to prevent. Sometimes, we'll have to react."

She nods. And for a moment I see a dark flame of anger in her eyes. "I know the school is managing the rescue, but afterward, well, we'll see. What rubble Paige leaves, I want a go at."

I hug her and nod. "And what you leave, I'll make it bounce."

While the Pack table is one down, the Kimba table is one up. Chaosdancer has joined us. "Hi everyone! I'm assigned to stick with Jules, but there's only one of me, so I'll be joining you all here. My codename is Chaosdancer but my name is Kristin. Yes I know you all, because I'm not really very fixed in time, but you'll need to introduce yourselves later. I'm sorry if it's confusing."

"Seems perfectly normal to me" I tease.

"Yeah, but you're the freakiest freak in the school", says Toni, and puts her tongue out. So I put mine out back and go bleeeh, which makes everyone giggle, and breaks the ice.

"Are you in the junior high?", asks Jade.

Kristin shakes her head. "Freshman, I'm just young. But I'll be thirteen soon!"

"Me too", Jade says, "Except I'm fourteen and stuck looking like this."

"Bleh, that sucks", Kristin agrees. "Bad enough to actually be young, without being stuck looking that way. But I feel pretty sure you'll get cured."

"Is that a future thing? You know I will?" Jade is obviously fishing for a yes.

And she gets one, kinda. "Sort of, it's complicated. There's something big in the way and I can't see past it clearly. A fight? It's confusing because it feels like it'll happen, but it won't happen here, but it'll affect here. Sorry. I'm making no sense."

Jade says, "Will it be soon?"

Kristin shrugs. "I'm the exact wrong person to ask that. It's all piled in a heap to me. Sorry."

Jade sighs, and gets a hug from Billie. "Sorry for pushing you. It's just harder to wait around, than just be told no."

Kristin sounds subdued. "Well, for better or worse this whatever-it-is feels like it's rushing up on us reeeal fast. But looking that way is giving me a headache, so can we not for a bit?"

"It's fine", I say, preempting Jade's desire for more data. "You look after you."

She nods.

In the end we work out that Sara, Kristin and I will head to escape class, which is going to feel wrong with no Paige. Meanwhile I'll head over to the powers guys to get my teleporting measured as per the Head's instructions, as well as visiting Doc Bellows.

I think for escape, and code class later, I'll relay it to Paige and she can watch it like a movie. I don't know if it'll stick, learning it in a soul level mind, but at least she won't be cut off. Might help things feel more normal for her. Damn all kidnappers.

Walking over to Doyle, I'm not really in the best of moods. But I take a breath and let my frown go when I see Majestic, gesturing to me. Probably just luck we ran into each other, but she clearly wants a moment, so I let her catch me up outside Doyle. "Hi, what's up?"

She takes a moment, then says, "So, your interview on Saturday. Turned out you didn't stir up much panic, but, what there was, we helped keep a lid on it. So we're quits, right?"

I nod. "As agreed. Thank you. Yes, we're quits."

She nods. And pauses. "I um, heard about the Necromancer, yesterday." She takes a moment, then says, "You went easy on us, didn't you?"

"I know the difference between people doing something I don't like, and an abomination against everything of value, like he was", I say. "Counterpoint left me a few too many scars for it to feel like I was going easy. But I wasn't aiming to kill."

"But you killed *them*."

I nod. "They needed to just stop. And the necromancer himself, I shredded his soul. Pieces of him will be back eventually, as parts of other life. But he's gone." I wince at the memory. "He was a disgusting, self centered, stealing, consuming thing, and I hope whatever his soul-shards become, it's something nicer."

She looks down a moment, and says in a quieter voice, "We're quits, but I don't want you for an enemy, okay?"

I nod. "Right now I don't like you much, but I'm open to change. If you want to be the kind of person I approve of, try finding ways to make being kind, nice, helpful, work for both you and them. Win-win scenarios. If you do that, you'll be working with the influence as a wind at your back, rather than blowing in your face. You'll create a positive wake rather than a negative one. And you'll earn my respect."

She sighs. "I've been doing some thinking. So... yeah. I can see a line stretching between where I was, and where Jason was, and... the Necromancer, where he was. That's a line I'm choosing not to follow any more."

I smile. "Then it sounds like you're headed the right way."

She nods quietly, and walks off, while I head inside.

Doc Bellows greets me with coffee ready, and pours me a mug. "Grab a seat. Sorry for breaking up your rhythm with a session out of order, but I felt you needed a chance to talk over the weekend as soon as possible. And now you're mixed up in this other stuff too, I'm told. Bit of a war zone, really. Were you planning to slow down any time soon?"

I chuckle. "Next up is the big religious conference where they proclaim me a goddess. Signs aren't good for a return to calm normality."

He shakes his head. "You need to make time. Even if it's grabbed in fits and snatches. Or I fear you'll have a nasty crash."

I nod, remembering my near misses. "I've had help. At least one really strong catharsis Friday night. But I do need a better coping mechanism. It builds up, you know?"

"Meditation, every opportunity", he says. "Just take five minutes and do it. Get out in nature as much as you can. Delegate. And try to at least punctuate the trauma with ordinary life. Because you see, the problem I face is that it's not really possible to help you heal from trauma while you're still experiencing it."

I have a thought, remembering fields of grass. "There's not much nature I can get out into while this business is unfinished, but what if I made a mental world where I could go?"

He considers that. "It might be a good idea. Perhaps particularly for you, because I know you can split your attention."

I nod. "I'll look into it."

"Alright. So. Why don't you tell me what happened yesterday?"

So I tell him, the whole thing, including the bits I left off the record, where I made a choice to kill without offering surrender. And how actually killing people felt... numb, mechanical, I just did things and they fell in pieces and stopped being alive.

He sighs and leans back. "I never enjoy having to tell people this, but it comes up here more often than I'd like. Yes, killing people is mechanical. Subject the body to something like a lightsaber decapitation, and it stops being a person. And there is no fanfare. No angel appears, pointing an appalled finger. The birds continue to sing. The sun rises and sets. People go about their business, when it feels like the world should stop. The one who judges is you. The one who remembers is you."

"My perspective lets me see that humans have other incarnations. That death isn't an end. But it was still a selfish act. To keep Donna's secret, to stop her becoming an eternal hostage, I just ended their present life, I treated them like things."

"As they have treated many others, those were not innocent onlookers."

"Tit-for-tat is meaningless and murdering murderers just makes me a big game hunter, like Counterpoint."

"Then will you accept that you made a choice, and you made it for good reasons? Donna deserves protection. What you did, protects her."

I sigh. "Yeah, there's that. I can accept that."


	86. Part 86

# # Part eighty six

"No, it's okay, I don't have any classes until sixth period", Kristin says as she walks with Sara and I towards escape class. "I think you're taking way more than most people, even with the doubling up. You don't have free periods, right?"

I nod, "Right. Only a few periods are even single overlap."

She giggles. "I don't know how you stand it. 'Work, work, nor dare to shirk'." Random Tolkien, I like this kid, heh.

"She's new here", Sara teases me with a stuck out tongue that she's extended tentacle-wise to a pointy tip.

"Ah." Kristin says that like it all makes sense.

"What?", I ask, amused. "Is there something wrong with being new?"

Kristin shakes her head. "Means you're still grabbing a full plate of everything. New kid syndrome, everybody gets it when they first arrive. Takes about a month for it to start feeling like home, rather than you lucked into the biggest funfair ever. Then you want to slow down, because things like weekends and free periods are a break from the drudge and a chance to do your own thing. But you came in on a term with all electives, so it's not even drudgery yet."

We grab seats in the classroom - Kristin takes Paige's, which feels weird and bad. I distract myself from that by pondering what she said. "Some of it was kinda dull, but I tested out of that. I see what you, mean, I dropped right into the funfair term."

"Gets much, much duller in the spring", she says. "Well, if there is a spring, which is a little uncertain at this point."

I'm about to ask for clarification but Mr Robertson comes in, and class has begun.

I've been to powers testing twice before, but I suppose it's my own fault for collecting new ones that I'm back again - peeking in a little hesitantly this time because I don't exactly have an appointment, just orders from the Head.

"Ah, Parallel, come on in, doctor Hewley will be with you in a moment." Which, duh, she called ahead with. Sometimes I'm silly. I smile and nod my thanks to the receptionist and grab a seat.

"Hello, welcome back again", Doc Hewley is his usual friendly self. "I've been hearing things about you. Orbiting at ground level! Assembling lightsabers ex nihilo in a floating vacuum bubble, and then making them appear and disappear at whim! Sadly none of which is on the schedule today, but perhaps soon?"

"They kinda aren't so much new, as me stretching out what I can do with what I've already got", I say. "Like the slipstream I used for orbiting is mostly just using gravity to yank stuff around. And space warping for turns."

"Yes, that was a nice touch, I'm surprised I haven't seen it used more often", he says. "Pulling turns like a Tron light cycle at a speed that would make a UFO blush, was how I heard it described." As we talk we're walking, presumably towards one of the labs.

"Some of the math is a little fiddly and you have to do it at speed", I admit. "I suspect the technique has been discovered a lot, but either set aside as impractical, or used once, and messily."

"Not much time to think 'oops' at mach twenty three", the doc says as we step together into a huge underground arena.

"Even with my timebase up high, not a whole lot", I agree.

It's my first time meeting the ANTS bots, because I don't get to do team combat. With their holographic emitters switched off, they look kind of like T-800 terminators with the skin off, only a whole lot less menacing. Somewhere between that and naked C-3PO.

Doc Hewley says, "So, rather than using actual humans to see how many you can carry, we'll be using bots. Sorry if that's a disappointment."

"Alas for my fantasies of embedding innocent test subjects into walls", I deadpan back.

"Try not to embed any robots either, if you can help it. They're very fixable, but they're also expensive. Or for that matter yourself."

I nod. "Definitely not my idea of a fun time. Just a moment, I want to feel out the jump coordinates of this place." And I give him a little demo of slipstreaming, flickering around the circumference of the whole vast room.

Okay, I said I wouldn't brag, but he's the powers test guy, can I brag just a little?

"Right, a moment, very funny", he grins, he's amused despite pretending not to be. "How fast was that?"

"Barely mach one. Lazy dawdling."

He just hrmphs. "Alright, show-off, get started." But he does grin a moment later as the pretence cracks.

Over in the mental health section in Doyle, Doc Bellows looks confused as I crack a grin myself. "Something going on?"

"Just playing around in powers testing", I say. "I tell myself not to be a show-off, but it's impossible not to when there's someone there to actually impress with it."

He looks amused. "A little showing off isn't harmful. Don't let your ego rest on it, and you'll be fine. People who show off too much do it because they need to be seen as big and special, because they feel weak and small inside."

I pull a bit of a face. "Hate to admit it, but there's definitely a part of me that feels that way. Takes time for facts to undo experience."

"But you can admit it, and that's a good beginning. Not enough for a cure in itself, but you aren't going to be spitting up the medicine." He looks thoughtful. "Still, that might explain a few things."

I think about it. "The anger outbursts."

He nods. "You've more than once gone further in anger than you were comfortable with immediately afterward. In each case, you were facing opponents who would have terrified the old you, I think?"

"And groups, yes. Even if they weren't mutants, a group like that could have bullied the old me. So if I learn not to feel small, I won't lash out?"

"How you feel emotionally isn't exactly where the problem lies", he says, picking his words carefully. "It's your unconsidered reactions that are out of sync, compared to the values the rest of you holds. And those reactions are controlled by beliefs that are half-conscious, because they pop up when nudged, but are normally quiescent."

"Which explains how they slip under the radar."

"The ability to see any part of your mind, is not the ability to see all of your mind, I imagine."

I hadn't quite thought of it that way. "Makes sense."

He smiles. "Alright, we're out of time today, but we still have your regular session tomorrow, and that gives us a nice thread to pick up."

I smile. "Provided this business with Paige doesn't interfere, yeah."

Speaking of Paige, though, she's stopped Sara from playing distraction. "Sorry, I think I'm starting to get sensations from my physical body, the crossover is messing with me."

"Waking up?" I ask.

"Not quickly, at any rate", she says. "But if we're gonna have a chat with Doc Diabolik, we'd best do it soon."

"Most of it, Sara and I can do, you're more of a useful example", I say. "But you're also a priority. As soon as you come awake enough to give me a target, I'm jumping over to get you. He can wait."

"Well, he's just started meditating, good timing", Sara says. "I've got him, bring him in?"

"Sec", Paige scrambles to get back into her clothing, cutely. Gah, I love these two. "Okay, I'm good."

Diabolik appears suddenly, and looks around a little surprised. "Ah, I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

Sara looks amused. "Welcome to the Lovecraft room, or at least, its dream extension. Please, grab a beanbag. Or a seat on the bed if you prefer. No, you aren't interrupting anything. Although, Cyberkitty here is showing signs of gradually regaining her physical consciousness, and if she does, I think we might have to rush around a bit."

He does grab a beanbag, and I grab one beside him so he doesn't feel singled out. He looks thoughtful. "I have so many questions. Practical ones first, I suppose. I thought, miss Cyberkitty, that you were unconscious and unreachable?"

Paige says, "Unconscious, yes. Which means I can't give Parallel an anchor for her teleport yet. I was just out of it, but these two managed to get me thinking with my soul, don't ask me how it works. So at least I can be here."

"Souls, again, hmm?"

I say, "Yeah, and this place is another soul construct. It has a physical and nonphysical extension, but they both do what she wants", I nod towards Sara. "That's why it feels so solid. It kind of is. And it belongs to her strongly enough that we can probably talk safely here."

He nods, "You've implied, miss Parallel, that actual Cthulhu might be listening in?"

"Call me Jules, please, I don't feel the need to hide behind a codename from you. On the links, yes. Or rather, he isn't going to be listening to them all the time, because his attention isn't there, but saying his name on them would be unwise. Or in voice conversations, really, because he can read minds if they aren't shielded really well."

"So, and pardon me if this is a rude question, but how is a fictional monster your real enemy?"

Sara picks it up. "Because when the great old ones broke through to this universe, he was the first one, and he latched onto Mr Lovecraft. We find it easier to connect with creatives, because they work on the soul level. We need the connection to define ourselves in terms that work here, things like names and personalities. We have more abstract natures, he was always nasty, that's why he fell into resonance with someone who was a bigoted ass even for his time. Out of that merger came a name and a personality. He became the arch-bigot. Hating everything different from himself. In this timeline, that's recent, but we're timeless, so he was named and defined from the beginning of things."

"So all of Lovecraft's monsters..."

"Are real, and he named them, yes. Hence grandma having a rude name."

"Grandma, hmm, I think I know the one you mean, but I take it, not literally?"

"Oh yes, literally", she smirks. "Grandma made me, Kellith, and made Gothmog, my father. We're direct lineage from the power of life. I'm her high priestess. Daddy and I are on the humans' side. She isn't, but she also isn't opposed. And then Jules here came to me wanting to be one of us, so I sparked her. Which puts her in the life lineage too."

"And she's offered to spark me, but I haven't said yes yet", Paige says.

I say, "Thing is, this all sounds abstract until you realise that old Cthulhu has his tentacles in every damn part of the world's governments and is outright stirring up bigotry, war, and chaos, and holding humanity down. I'd lay odds he has a tentacle in most of the damn-foolishness you've been facing up against too. He doesn't want the humans to escape."

"I... see", he sighs. he looks lost in thought, so we let him have a moment to rearrange his world-view. "I understand now, that I've been playing chess without even realising there was a thinking opponent behind the frustrations imposed upon me by the other side's pieces. Instead I blamed each piece separately."

I say, "Humans are plenty stubborn on their own, don't get us wrong, but he isn't helping."

He nods. "You say you're on humanity's side. What do you mean by that?"

"We want you to be free to make your own choices, not interfered with", says Sara.

I say, "We basically plan to make humans more like GOOs, give you all much more direct access to the soul side of things. Breeding into your species is part of that, so's teaching you, and sparking or semi-sparking some of you. Without your soul side exposed and unguarded, you'll be a lot harder to manipulate or control."

"Breeding in", he chuckles. "A project for later I presume. But I see you're already hard at work teaching."

Paige says, "You're the first, outside of Whateley and ARC. Jules' choice, but I think she made a good one."


	87. Part 87

# # Part eighty seven

"When she comes awake, don't jump until I say go", Kristin says. "They know you're coming. They'll try and catch you out by making her use her powers."

I nod and nudge the Head over the links. "I think we're about to be a go for project switcheroo. And the enemy does have a good idea that we're coming."

I get back a nod. "Be careful. And I've received the powers testing results. Six per body, not bad."

"They need to be able to touch me. So if it's big people, maybe less than six", I say.

"Alright, I'll get them ready. Do you need anything?"

"A pass from sixth period lessons. I'd rather not split my focus."

"Consider it done. Good luck."

We're about half way through fifth period, but Mr Robertson doesn't raise objections when I ask for me, Kristin and Sara to be excused. Now I know I can do it safely, I tell the two of them to grab on, then fold all three of us through a teleport to outside Sara's room, which will be a good base of ops for me. I do my suit-quick-change, which makes Kristin giggle.

In the dream version of the same room, I say to Dr Diabolik, "Looks like things are heating up, so I'm afraid we'll have to continue this after."

He nods. "It has been enlightening. And now to the action filled part of the day, then." He bows, then vanishes from the dream room.

Paige meanwhile is making faces. "This double vision feels really weird."

"You've got a choice, dear", Sara says. "Let go of this side and have single vision. Or try and adjust to the weirdness."

Paige nods. "I'll try. I wanted this. Urgh, I hate anaesthetic. I can barely move, but I think I'm strapped down."

"Kristin says they're going to make you use your powers", I warn. "You might want to brace for that, although I don't know which one."

"I think I can guess", she says, sounding disgusted. She starts relaying vision over the links to me and Sara, as she forces her eyelids open onto painfully bright light, that resolves into a white ceiling with a strip-light. A face in a medical mask and cap appears, shines a light in her eyes. Making Paige over this end hiss alarmingly.

"I know that fucker. Damn it, that's Dr. Lenston. Nathan Millsap. Mind raping bastard."

"So that's where he's gone and hidden", Sara says. "Well, he won't get away this time."

"And I have a shield, this time", Paige says.

"Good thing I made you practise it", Sara teases, getting a stuck out blue tongue back from Paige.

The voice is relayed over the link from Paige's body, "Welcome back to the land of the living, miss Circuit Breaker. You're looking rather furrier than when we last met."

Paige tries to say something back but it comes out as an incoherent murmur. In the dream room, she says it out loud, "You still look like your mother fucked an overripe cheese." Making both of us giggle.

He says, "Uh-uh, no talking, dear", and a thickly gloved hand appears and pushes something into Paige's mouth. "You might want to brace yourself."

Slam! Something of the pain and blast of being hit with a nasty electrical shock leaks across the link, and Paige here jerks and cries out. "Ow, fucking goat raping shitfaced goddamn bastard that *hurt*. And now my physical brain is all loopy, dammit."

"Still with us?", the voice asks. "Good, I see it's really, you then. Don't go anywhere." And he leaves, chuckling.

Kristin says, "You've got a twelve minute gap now, go!"

I relay that, and Paige's perspective changes as she tries to sit up, then failing that, to tilt her head and look. Camera there, camera there. Clear area, there. And I trace down the link, reach through with gravity sense, it opens up, I can feel the room.

I jump.

It's a room in greys, with my eyes closed, but Paige is a riot of colours in life sense, strapped into a bed. There's nobody else in the room at the moment. The door's shut. My camo is adjusted, I'm invisible. Gravity sense widens, I'm underground, there's a warren of passages around me. Above that, a void, presumably sky. I throw a copy up there, blind. I'm falling through clear blue skies over forested mountains. The surface base is a small and unremarkable military camp. That body vanishes, got the coordinates. I float myself over to Paige. One touch, and I switch her with the duplicate body and we're back in the Lovecraft room.

"Got her!" I exult to the Head. "And got the coordinates. Ready to go on your say-so."

"Good, head outside, we're lining up for transport. And get the poor girl to Doyle, would you?"

"Yes ma'am." I send a costumed body outside. Everyone's milling around, with the Head shouting orders, getting them to form up into six-man groups, flyers in one area and non-flyers in another.

"You need to take the next shock, if you want to surprise them", Kristin says.

I wince at that. "I've never tried using anyone else's powers."

"Got... my permission", Paige croaks. "Get the... fucker."

I nod. And jump her over to the foyer of Doyle. "Coming in with one rescued hostage." We're rapidly surrounded by doctors and Paige is whisked away.

So now I have a ticking clock to learn to use powers that don't belong to me, but, I also have permission from their rightful owner. Okay.

First, what does it feel like to be Paige? My senses are different. She isn't seeing in colour, except the electricity around here shines blue through the walls. There isn't much of it, they've clearly built this room to hold her, although from the plastered and repainted look of the walls they may have ripped out the modern stuff in a hurry. The medical equipment around is antiquated, god knows where they dug it up but I know I'd be able to feel if anything had so much as a microcontroller and it doesn't.

Paige in the dream room says, "Alright, they've got me resting in a quiet room, so I'm not distracted any more and I can help. I want to see if I can infiltrate their network there, through you. Do you think the link will let me drive? It should give you a workout too."

"Can't hurt to try", I say. And I throw open as much of the sensorium as I can put on the link.

"Gah, and now I've got three bodies", Paige sounds amused. "Okay, let's see" The perspective shifts, I can feel the link's internet connection firing up, and Paige is making her power search around, but there's nothing in reach.

"Hold up, let's give you a boost", I say. And I let big me come forward slowly in Paige-body, hiding any visible signs.

"Whoa, that feels weird, damn, that's huge, that's you?"

I giggle mentally at the double entendre. "Big me, and believe me she gets much huger. Try now."

And the entire base blossoms into view. "Oh nice, very nice", Paige is having fun. "And got you, you asshats. Thought a shielded server room would keep me out? Think again. Ooh, this is fun." Perspective shifts and she's diving through data like a decker out of a William Gibson novel. "I'm copying this over to Hartford, but it looks like my captors were a splinter off the CIA. Although something's squirrely about that. It's like there's an organization inside an organization. I think maybe, the CIA got punked."

"I don't think the Head's going to cut them any slack for that", I say.

"Detentions all round", Paige agrees. "Alright, give the powers a stretch yourself, now."

I try that, cautiously poking around the base computers, then popping out and sensing around. feeling the big power plant buried deep underground, following wires around, splitting my attention (which makes Paige go "ooh dammit that's confusing") and following each wire, I can feel the machinery at the end of it. Guns, lasers. I'll be ready for those.

Oops, time's up! My attention returns to the room I'm still strapped down in. Millsap comes back in and unceremoniously throws a switch. Timebase fast, I can feel the current build, big me helps the power shunt it to the body's batteries. Copying what Paige did before, I simulate a spasm. and speed back to normal (to more complaints from headache-having Paige), I make sure to spit a few choice swearwords at the supposed doctor.

He meanwhile, looks surprised. "Really, your friend is running rather late. We're expecting her, you see. I have an acquaintance who would very much like to borrow her body. A certain doctor Palm."

Someone else enters the room. A woman, I think at first, but she's completely just... wrong on life sense. In terrible distress and pain, and none of it shows on her face. "You have been tricked, doctor Lenston."

"What do you mean?"

"Her responses show patterns that are not human. Speeding up and slowing down. Constant two millisecond lag. The spasm was a precise duplicate of the previous. This is a puppet."

Over Whateley side, we're ready. "On my mark", says the Head.

I grin at the two of them. "Pot calling the kettle black. And I think I'll borrow that puppet of yours, she isn't enjoying it." A flick of teleport takes me out of the bed and into contact with Palm's puppet, and I snatch her to outside security in Whateley.

"Go", says the Head, and I'm lifting a full thousand people, got them in my gravity and I fold space and....

Jump.

We're overhead and free-falling towards wooded ground. I let the flyers go, and they curve away, those bodies stay in place up above to form a monitor grid. Below, soldiers are running around and shouting, guns that look like sticks with tall domed hats swivel and go BURRRRT and spit out long lines of fire toward us. Every bullet is in my g-sense, I'm tracking each separate one, and I slap little shields in each of their way and they smash into depleted uranium confetti. Free-falling, ground approaching, wind blowing past us. Covers pop open, lasers, I saw them when I was snooping the wires. Speed up my timebase and I can see the pulse beginning and I put a shield mirror in front of each. Back to normal to watch the pretty fireballs erupting out of the mountainside.

We're underground, a smaller entry force stepping into the room they had Paige in, a horrified-faced mister Millsap is rather quickly locked in restraints. They burst through the door and out into the base. Paige has given Hartford a map, so they know the way.

Ten feet above the ground I apply a counter-gradient and we drop to a feather light landing and everyone's released. And the hand to hand fighting starts. Time for me to make my way off the battlefield. From now on, the adults can deal with it.

Back home, I have time to scan Palm's unwilling puppet with life sense. Wires, circuitry. I'm still in a Paige body, and she says, "look out!" and shows me the data flows, Palm has armed the self destruct.

Not on my watch. I flick all that wires and circuity over onto a nearby spot of empty lawn. Replace it in situ with neutral saline so her head doesn't implode. But now she's thrashing around like her brain's going haywire. Is there anything to save? Reaching into her with life sorcery I feel like there is. I close down leaking blood vessels, and feel out the bounds of the injury. I know I was told not to do medicine, but this is an emergency. I can feel in her DNA, how her brain was meant to grow, and I can push my sorcery a little to re-flow properly connected cells into the gaps, rebuilding her, although the new bits are going to be *tabula rasa*, she'll be whole.

The once-Palm mess of bloodstained gadgetry explodes with a nice satisfying boom.


	88. Part 88

# # Part eighty eight

With my patient over in Doyle, and me mildly scolded (only mildly, because it seems I did a good job), I'm briefly at a loose end. Security is poking through the smoking remnants of the Palm's control device, Paige is physically off limits to visitors and supposed to be resting (although we're keeping the dream room up so she and Sara can practise being multi-level, while snuggling). As for me, I head to Poe so I can research flight instrumentation on my laptop. If I can build them and interface them to the links, then I won't need a HUD or something distracting me, I can just consume the raw data. Which reminds me, I need to put together a TCP/IP stack in my head so I can use the links connection I built for Paige. Shouldn't be too hard, I can save a lot of fiddly coding by replacing algorithms with judgement. Add a web renderer and a PDF renderer, and I won't need the lappy if I want to look something up.

That distracts me for a bit, but then I'm back to the hard question of how do you interface soul technology to electronics? I mean worst case, I could patch an interface together with sorcery at the physical level, but I'd really prefer to keep all the magic down deep where it can't be knocked out with a casual dispel. And besides, I feel like doing this right might be important. Diabolik is definitely going to want to blend the two worlds. I can see a heap of uses for it too. Imagine an "internet two", that didn't go via physical stuff at all, but direct through the links, or something like them. Never disconnected. No need for internet providers or centralized trunk lines that can be snooped or blocked. No latency. Heh, for that alone, the finance markets would let me name my price. Not that I particularly need money right now. Being ARC's pet GOO is sufficiently lucrative.

Thinking of cash reminds me of the thing I've spent most of mine on while I've been here, fancy tailoring from Miss Rogers. And my frustration at my needs for a pressure bubble while flying. Now if only I had a pressure-suit, one of those form fitting ones that just happens to look like my super suit... It should be a darn sight easier to architect one given I don't need gas exchange, too. Open weave suit, closed bubble helmet? One to look into later, but it might save me calculation effort. And I have coordinates for her shop, I don't need to worry about an escort, if I call ahead. Presumably after the present kerfuffle, though.

I realise I'm falling into my old trap of trying to do everything myself and going in circles. I could just ask Sara. Knocking and peeking into the dream room shows a sleeping Paige and a happy Sara sat beside her. "Hey sweetie, I was being an idiot and trying to reinvent the world."

She giggles. "What were you up to now?" So I tell her my ideas, and she nods. "There's secrets behind this. But I do have a good idea of the physics you'll need." She holds out a hand, obviously wanting me to take it , and I do, and I can feel her passing the idea into my mind, but at a big-me level, it doesn't really fit into physical brains. More of a seed than detail, because her Kellith-mind is organized differently than big me. But with the idea seeded, I can elaborate on it.

"Got it", I grin. "Oho, something about that feels Paige-like. You didn't?"

"Hush", she chuckles. "Secrets. But don't let that stop you playing with it."

I nod. And get thoughtful. "There's no humans I could teach this yet, but..." I look down at the sleeping form on the bed, dreaming inside a dream.

"She's coming along fast", Sara agrees. "Probably the closest one to us. She'll either spark soon, or..."

"Maybe become something new", I nod. "I'm thinking that humans need to find a level where they're still themselves, but they have enough nonphysical competency to stand as our equals. She might be able to learn how her own powers work. And given her natural grasp of systems..."

Sara grins, "Not yet. But soon, yes, perhaps. And then let the world beware."

We're interrupted by the Head, over the links, giving me a nudge. "Miss Parallel, are you decent and available?"

"Sadly yes", I say amused. "Need a lift home?" Meanwhile I'm letting Sara know what's up, she nods, and I step out of the dream.

"Something like that, and captives to move out of the way so your new friend can be demonstrative." The Head sounds a bit tired, but it may be emotional weariness. "I'm worried we have more of those Palm-piloted infiltrators among them. You could spot them like you spotted the first one?"

"Anywhere I'm close enough to have them on life sense, they aren't subtle", I agree. "Me or any empath, but I'd be wary of poking them with psychic powers, I don't know if they can infiltrate back. Sorcery, I'm pretty sure they can't sense or respond to."

"I agree", the Head says. "Alright, come on back over. And don't worry, there's no gore."

"Took them all out with stunners?"

"And sleepy gas and nets and good old fashioned taps on the chin, yes. A message of proportional response. Also will make my life much easier when I have to sit in a room opposite someone high ranking and explain this."

"Yeah, I feel that. On my way over."

The base is much quieter when I jump in. Groups of sullen-looking soldiers are standing around with their hands up. Everything has a bit of a busted-up look. What happens when you air-drop an army on somewhere, I suppose. Besides, it's going to look a whole lot more busted in a few minutes.

It isn't hard to spot the Head and I fly myself over, not bothering to show off with slipstream. We have a short chat about how she wants people moved. They've got a warper to show me the way, and then I should have coordinates to bulk jump the prisoners plus guards over. While I'm at it, she wants me to identify any more of Palm's zombies, but without doing anything about it. Then report to her, and she'll have them cut out of the crowd and put on ice before they can self destruct. It seems we're on a fifteen minute deadline before the orbital weapons can reach us. By which time we need everyone out of the base, and ideally, the whole mountain, although from here I can't feel anything else around us but trees and animals.

As we talk I find myself looking out, past the ugly military fence, into the forest. This place doesn't deserve to be smashed, just because humans did a bad thing. But how can I tell them that?

Dr Diabolik chooses that moment to thump over in his battle mech. He's got a big grin. "Hello there, miss Parallel. You don't look too happy in the hour of our victory?" The voice through the exterior speaker is slightly tinny.

"I'm happy these assholes are not going to be kidnapping anyone else", I say. "And I have no love to spare for this base. It's the forest that's bothering me. And the mountain. There's whole systems of life there, interwoven and old. Homes. Families. And stone that's been intruded upon when humans dug it out, and will be again shortly for no fault of its own. It's sad, you know?"

To his credit, he does take the time to look, and think about that. "I suppose it is. But a point does need to be made."

I send other mes to move the prisoners out as we'd planned, while I say, "If I was able to make enough of a point without the need to smash everything here to glass, would you be willing to call it off?"

He looks thoughtful. "Any time in the next twelve minutes, I can send the stop signal."

I nod. "I'll try." Meanwhile I'm moving prisoner groups and supers over, that will be done in a couple of minutes, most of the time is organizing people. I fly myself up and over just outside the fence, onto an old boulder, with the Doc hot on my tail. What I need is a feel for this place. I drive life sense down, deep into the heart of the stone. The mountain feels surprisingly aware. And irritated by the small wound humans have made in it.

As the last groups leave the base, I'm explaining my plans to the Head, and she decides to stick around and watch, but from the air. And meanwhile, on the boulder, I sit myself cross legged and try and find the mountain's song. There's something I've wanted to try, and now's a good time to do it.

Big me comes forward, and the song begins with a low hum, that I draw out and draw out - I'm cheating, creating air, as I hold the sound for continuous seconds and then drop down an octave, singing it in my throat. Then words come, the depth of stone and enormous weight, the forest flourishing on top it, animals having their lives, fungi connecting trees, birds flitting in and out, slow lives and fast lives, and the long slow rumble of stone under it. I can feel the mountain and the forest listening. Then - first time I've tried it, I turn the song. Sing of the ugliness and intrusion of the human base. Trees torn down, concrete and steel, fences to keep life out, selfish humans, takers and destroyers even against their own kind. I feel the slow anger of stone and wood. And I start to weave a sorcery into the song. Bend the world, but with permission sought. Bind the essence called up by the song into the spell. Rust steel, drive oxidation deep into aluminium, rot plastic, soften drywall. Turn asphalt to a mush of fast growing fungi. Roots shatter concrete. Rock shifts deep underneath, and underground water gushes in. A spout of rusty water leaps from the entrance. I flow minerals into the water, quickly filling the voids underground with centuries worth of stone deposited in seconds. And then life moves in, animals and fungi, and where the base was, trees spring up. I let them grow to saplings, then release the spell. Turn the song again to thankfulness, and a suggestion the forest and mountain defend itself against any further intrusion, and I feel fierce acknowledgement. And then I stop my song and return to the outside world.

It doesn't have the tainted feel. My guess was right, I could combine sorcery and song that way. I grin, and am slightly startled to hear a chuckle from beside me. "Two minutes remaining. I've called off the strike."

I smile. "There won't be another base here. The mountain's awake now. Only respectful humans wanted."

The Head drops down to a landing beside us. "Impressive work. I take it the countdown has stopped?"

He nods, glances down. Frowns. Fingers stab at buttons. "I was mistaken. We need to evacuate immediately. My platform is ignoring my instructions."

No time to get permission. I make a Paige-body and dive. Something's up there, and something unfriendly has taken control of it. Well hello again, doctor Palm. I can chase it, tear it out, but I can feel the big gun flash once, I'm too late, a projectile is away. It won't fire again but...

Paige body vanishes. "Palm takeover on your big gun, stopped it but it fired once."

"Then we need to leave", he says. I make a second body, grab the two of them and get them clear. And then it's just me, looking at a white line in the sky. I throw shields in front of it, a whole line of them and hold on *hard*. There's a noise like a scream, and a white brilliant flash, and I black out.


	89. Part 89

# # Part eighty nine

****15th January, 2007, Undisclosed location, evening****

I blink, and open my eyes, several sets at once. Dr Tenent the mage is bending over one of me, so I ask her, "How long?" My voice is a little croaky.

"Just over two minutes. All of you passed out at once."

"One of me's still out cold", I say, "The one at the base. Did I get blown up?"

Doc Diabolik appears in my field of vision. I try to sit up, but Dr Tenent pushes me down. "Stay down please."

Diabolik says, "Truly remarkable. You stopped the projectile, so no, I don't think you got blown up. Your forest, at least, did not."

That's a relief. "Good, although I may have over-exerted myself a bit", I admit. Although my bodily systems are stabilizing fast, there's a sort of sprained ache at a deeper level. I add, "Can you send someone over for the other body? I don't want it picked up by the army, whether or not it's toast."

"As soon as the area is deemed safe, of course", he says.

I nod. "Sorry, I was a bit crude with your satellite. Needs must, but it may or may not work properly any more."

"It doesn't, but I would have taken it offline anyhow", he says. "I apologise for my weapon getting taken over like that."

"Happens", I say, "but I think we both need to bump the Palm up our enemies list."

"Oh yes, definitely that."

"How is she, Ophelia?" It's the Head.

"Recovered, but worn", the Dr Tenent says. "I recommend rest."

"Very well. Safe to move?"

The doctor nods. "I wouldn't want her to do any teleporting, but walking around she should be fine."

I say, "I'll vanish the spare bodies, and then someone can get me back to Whateley? But there's the one over in the forest, I'm not sure if that's injured. I'm sorry though, I might not be able to take everyone else back today."

"Don't get too big for your britches young miss, we have means of transportation without you", the Head is smiling, so it's a tease. "You aren't planning to vanish the body in the forest?"

"Not until I know what happened", I say. "I need to figure out how to avoid backlash like that next time."

"Next time you need to drag a kinetic kill orbital weapon to a halt with the power of your mind, right", she's amused. "Please do try not to make a habit of it. I'd hate to see you fumble one."

"Oops butterfingers", I agree. "Yeah, no, I don't plan to do that, but I do plan to be able to survive doing it. Keeps the opposition sufficiently worried."

She laughs. "Oh indeed. Air-drop an army, spell-sing a mountain into eating a military base, and then fly-swat an orbital bombardment, all in one day, yes indeed, I believe they will now be sufficiently worried about you, if they weren't before. Be careful not to over-egg that particular pudding. And now I suggest you return to your dormitory, and get an early night's rest." It's clear that wasn't the optional kind of suggestion. But I could use it, to be honest.

After all that, it's almost surprising how quickly I'm bundled back to Poe. A few minutes later, Erin comes in with a covered tray of eats in case I wake up hungry, and a comforting hug that really helps. I guess I must look a little worse for wear. She kindly helps me get ready for bed without teleporting, and then I basically collapse asleep. I owe you one, Erin. Although I'm pretty sure Mrs Horton put her up to it.

Consciousness, sensation. I'm somewhere dark. Dimly, I become aware of voices. Also cold. Lots of that. Shouldn't my heater be auto-adjusting?

A voice: "Doesn't seem much point in dragging home miss crispy critter here, if she's only going to vanish it."

I try to say something but noise doesn't happen. Another voice, one I recognise, Doc Tenent, says, "Idiot! What she does with the body is her concern, at the moment, she's an injured child. Don't let me hear you talk like that again! Alright, lift her carefully onto the stretcher on three. One, two, three."

I can feel myself moving. Life sense is creeping back too, and I'm getting all sorts of error signals from my body.

"Alright let's roll her her through the portal. Hello, dear, I can sense you're back with us. Don't try to talk. You had a nasty burnout incident, but you're alive, and regenerating."

Oh hey, my second, do I win a prize? Also shouldn't I be hot, not cold, if I went foom? I take a peek at my heating mechanisms, but get the equivalent of a hands-off slap by my own body's regeneration. Okay, fair enough, evidently my resources are otherwise occupied.

A short, bumpy journey later, "Alright, you're in Doyle now. Safe and sound and no longer out in the woods."

Which is nice because it's noticeably warmer in here, but shouldn't Doyle be brighter? Poking with life sense shows flash fried retinas, which explains that. Regen hasn't gotten around to that yet. Not high on the list, I suppose. In fact I should really be in a lot more pain. A quick exploration shows what I suspected, peripheral nerve damage that the regen is ignoring at the moment, but I imagine it'll become distinctly ouchy when that starts to heal. Pain block switched on pre-emptively, I start exploring around the body. It's a bit frustrating, because what I want to understand is burnout, but the body itself has enormous secondary damage from the heat. What does it mean, to overuse powers?

I suppose what I can try is flexing them a little and tracking where it hurts. Various pokings suggest the docs are hooking me up to machines and putting in a drip (Analysis: just saline for now, so I won't tinker with it). So let's try, just a smidge of warping... ooh, yeah that definitely hurt. But when I track the locations of the pain, I get the feeling it's not where the harm is. It's more like the shadow cast by something else. There's no damage in the cells, they're reporting phantom harm. But I imagine, if I pushed it, it would become actual. Still, the physical isn't where it's coming from.

Hmm, so where is it? I slip my focus level a little away from the body, towards the soul side but not that deep, feeling around. Gradual poking reveals other layers beneath the physical. And then I think perhaps I have it. There's a layer where my body's overlaid and shot through with traceries of light. Looks kind of like the diagrams of chi meridians... oh hey. So that kind of explains it. Because the whole thing looks a nasty frazzled red right now. I wonder if I can call big me forward a little to help tinker with this?

Slowly slowly does it, I can see the mesh straining to cope with her presence, and it hurts at a level I can't block, but can choose to grit my mental teeth and ignore. I can feel big me's understanding, and then she reaches out and starts fixing things. It hurts worse. I bear it.

Oh hey, they're giving me morphine, I must be squirming around. Thanks but no thanks, I'll neutralise that. My energy channels are gradually going from an angry, burned red to a calm, flowing blue, and big me is helping me widen them by a lot. It stops hurting. She clears out the last of the red damage, and everything feels fresh and open.

And now I can pull my attention back to the physical, and ramp my regen right up. The light is suddenly bright. Scraps of burned skin are falling off me. I gasp and cough, and there's gross stuff I have to spit up, sorry docs.

"Whee, I'm back", I say, with my newly repaired vocal cords. Full life sense and gravity sense are back, I can feel my body cleaning up the last damage. Oh hey, my hair got burned off again. But I can regrow it, so I set that in motion. "Thanks", I say to doc Tenent, who is standing over me, possibly drawn by the frantically beeping machine.

"Thanks for what?", She says amused. "You did all of that yourself. But please stop using your powers, now. You've strained them and had a burnout. You need to rest."

"Yeah, I just went and fixed that too", I say. "Burnout's at the energy channels level. I just went and fixed and widened them." Look at me talking like I know what I'm doing.

"Even so. Until we can verify that, please rest."

I nod. "I can do that. No more morphine please though. I'm not hurting."

She looks skeptical, but says "Alright. We'll move you to a quiet room. Try to sleep."

"Can I clean up first? I think I'm still covered in crispy bits."

Which makes her cover a laugh. "Of course. Let me just get this drip out of your arm, since you don't seem to need it. There we go. Do you want to try and sit up?"

So I do sit up, and thankfully I'm not dizzy or anything. The bed is pretty gross, though. She nods at my reaction. "You were pretty bad when we got you in. I know you're a high level regenerator, but I advise you not to do that again. Or we may have to sweep that body up with a broom."

"If what I just did does what I think it does, that should no longer be an issue", I say. "But if I hadn't braked that bullet, it would have smashed the forest and mountain I just went and woke up. I felt responsible, you know?"

She nods. "Downside of working magic like that, if you aren't a jerk, you start feeling personally responsible for a lot of very strange things. Come on, let's get you to the shower."

I'm not unsteady on my feet or anything, but an arm to lean on while I walk is comforting. She looks like she's expecting me to object to having her come inside the shower room with me, but I recognise the whole 'patient might fall over' thing. I'm cool with it. Besides, I want to get this gunk off far more than I want privacy.

"Sorry for making work for you", I say while under the shower. "Normally I'd just vanish a burned up body, but there was stuff I wanted to learn."

"So your other self said earlier", she agrees. "Sounds like you learned it. And it's not a problem. You were in genuine need, and the fact you could choose to make that disappear doesn't mean you should have to."

Warm water is nice, but sleep sounds nice too. I'm tempted to shake the water off with a teleport, but I not supposed to be using powers. A towel will do.

"It was a weird day, but I hope the fuss is over now", I say. "What did you docs do with the Palm drones I picked out?"

"They're in stasis until we can decide what to do with them. Which might be what you did with yours, might not. We've identified her, by the way. She is, or was, a scientist. Walked off her job one day, went on the missing persons register a month later. What she'll be when she wakes up, remains to be seen."

"Makes me wonder how many more of his techno-zombies are out there", I say, lifting my arms to help her slip on one of the butt-showing ugly gown hospitals seem to love, then turning around so she can tie it.

"Not a subject that brings comfort", she agrees. "But a problem for another day."

I nod. "To bed, then."

She smiles and nods. "Oh and by the way, Grimes is happy you saved that mountain. Maybe she might forgive you for the other day."

"It would be nice", I agree, tiredly.


	90. Part 90

# # Part ninety

****16th January, 2007, Poe, morning****

I had a quiet, restful night after I'd fallen asleep in Doyle. Close to where they're keeping Paige, I think, but they put me in my own room. I just let the dreams do their own thing, and they weren't very memorable.

Waking up in Poe, I feel good. The business with Paige's kidnapping is basically done and dusted, we took their (heavily infiltrated) organisation apart, and I imagine Paige is going to do harsh and ungentle things to their digital presence as soon as she gets up. I sincerely doubt anyone will try a reprise, the school has made it clear that was a no-no. Which leaves me feeling more secure, for now, than I have in awhile.

Seems the Palm wants to try and body-snatch Paige and orbitally bombard me, though. Which puts him top-but-one of my list of, ahem, surviving enemies. I'll talk with Paige and Hartford about it, I think, they're the experts. I may or may not be supernumerary to that fight.

I'm going to copy the channel edits on the body in Doyle into this body, but no further until we can confirm it didn't bork my entire chi flow, which would be embarrassing. If they test out, I'll add them to the main pattern. Hmm, but I should be extra careful with the me who's hosting Junior. But even so, it feels like an improvement I can just go with. I do wonder how it affects my power levels. Doc Hewley will have a fit if I turn up and am like 'I went up a level again'. Heh.

Caitlin is going to be amused at how big a bullet I went and caught. Well, if she's got any attention to spare from snuggling June.

Channel edits copied over, I feel like I can use my powers again without the ache of yesterday. So I try with a teleport out of bed. Yup, worked nicely, no complaints. Erin's sitting up in her top bunk, so I say, "Morning, thanks for yesterday."

The food she brought me is still there, looking a bit forlorn. I slept right through dinner, so I'm ravenously hungry right now. I pull the wrapper off, scan the various offerings with life sense, nothing oogy growing on it, and grab a sandwich.

"Morning, sleepyhead", she says. "You slept like a log. Lucky you don't snore."

I grin, "Want food? I seem to have slept through that too."

"Nah, unlike some people I ate my dinner like a regular person."

The gentle tease makes me giggle. "All the more for me, and then second breakfast over in the hall in a few minutes."

"I hope you aren't turning into a hobbit. I'm not sure Sara likes big hairy feet." Erin jumps lithely down from her bunk.

"Bet you anything she does", I smirk.

"Not taking that sucker bet."

Laughing, I throw on a gown and head to go shower.

As the warm water splashes over me, I do feel like I might have more resolution on the g-sense, because I'm tracking every single droplet separately, and not particularly trying. Weird feeling. Could just be practise though, from swatting down those ack-ack bullets yesterday. Those weird hat-guns were fairly spectacularly wasteful of ordnance. Must remember to ask Caitlin what kind they were, even if only for curiosity's sake. First time I've been shot at in anger. I seem to be collecting firsts like that, lately. Let's hope the rate slows down.

I pop a teleport to leave the water behind, and let Ayla get his ogle in before loosely slinging on the gown and heading back to get dressed up for Tai Chi, which is on this morning so far as I know. And indeed, Chou does poke her head in. "Coming? Oh good. I wasn't sure if you were up."

"Yeah, all good to go. I'm looking forward to it. Enough with the epic battles, a bit of nice normality will be welcome."

"We'll make a Taoist of you yet", she grins. And squints at me. "Did you do something?"

"I did. Please tell me I haven't made a horrible mistake."

"If you did, it's subtle. Your chi's just flowing way more smoothly. Not in a messed up direction."

I explain what I did last night, and she winces. "Well, offhand, you aren't toast yet, but lets see how you do in Tai Chi, and I'd really like to get Becca to take a look at you, because this is way above my pay grade."

"Becca's your mentor, right?"

She nods. "She looks young but she's an immortal, she'll either know, or know who to ask. Anyhow, let's get out there and run through the form."

So we do. Me, Nikki, Toni, and Chou. I get funny looks from Toni until Chou explains. Then I get an even funnier look from her. "Seriously, you just up and widened your channels, and you're saying that like you fixed your hair or something?"

"Not pretending to be human", I say and put my tongue out.

She laughs. "Okay, I'll concede that point. Well, your chi flow just got a whole damn lot smoother. What that means, damned if I know, but you aren't stumbling over your own feet like you used to."

We pick the form back up, and it does feel easier to lead with intention than it did. Hmm, and someone's headed towards us. She reaches us just as we finish the form.

Chou smiles. "Rebecca Stone, meet Jules, also known as Parallel. Jules, this is my mentor Becca, who probably just felt like she should head this way, you know, incidentally."

"No need to make a thing of it", Becca smiles amused. "I followed the Tao, and here we are. Which means there's something I can help with?"

Toni and Chou about fall over each other telling what I did, which amuses me and evidently also Becca. Then when they're done, she says, "may I?" to me.

I nod. and she comes up to me and touches a few spots - I've got a bit of attention at the channel layer now, and it feels like echoes ripple through the system, like she's feeling with echolocation. Interesting.

She says, "Your channels are flowing freely, very freely in fact. The total amount of chi in your system is at a beginner level, but you've widened the bore of the pipes substantially. I feel you could handle a higher level of chi now, but you'll need training to gather and then control it. You're working with Dyffud Harraz, right?"

"First and second period every weekday", I say.

"I'll join you in your lesson today, and I'll speak to him about it." And with that she just smiles and goes, as mysterious as she arrived.

Over in Doyle, I'm awake. This body was tired, but the cross-body ripples of Becca's probing have brought me back up to the surface, and I feel rested, if still dozy. A short teleport gets me off the bed. My heater picks up a little as my feet hit the cold floor, and I look around curiously. The room's in semi-darkness because the curtains are thick, but the sun's clearly up behind them and it sheds enough light to augment my g-sense with colours. Not that there's a heap to look at. Medical wards are medical wards. I pad over to the door, and peek out. Only to catch a similarly peeking Paige. "G'morning", I say somewhat sleepily.

"Hey there. Huh, why are *you* here?"

"Blocked an orbital bombardment kinetic kill weapon. Was a mite crispy with burnout for a bit. Oh, and I borrowed a you-body because I was in a rush to shut down the satellite that was shooting at us. Palm took it over. Sorry."

It takes her a moment of squinting to parse that out. "Something that hits with the force of a nuke, and you just... stopped it?"

"Slung up a line of shields in front of it. I figured I could bleed off enough momentum sideways as it smashed through them that it would dissipate the bolide. But only if I held on to all the shields. Which I did."

"And caught your ass on fire."

"And that. But toasty one way, toasty the other, really. And I saved the trees around me."

She shakes her head, and laughs. "Point, I suppose. You bounce back fast."

"Could have just vanished this me, but I wanted to learn how to avoid burning out in future." I explain what I did, and she looks curious.

"Could you do that to me?"

Good question, could I? "Dunno, might be able to teach you to do it to yourself. But I want to be sure I haven't done anything messily fatal first."

She grins. "I have a feeling you'll be fine. As for the body, the Palm, you say?"

"Tried to stomp me with Diabolik's big gun", I nod. "Grumpy at me for all the drones he lost to me and then to the Head, I suspect. I was hoping to talk to you and Hartford about him."

"Yeah, he's not the gracious loser." Page winces. "Alright, I'll see if I can set that up for you. And the body thing's forgiven."

I smile. "Thanks. Means a lot. I don't intend to body-snatch you every time I have a technical problem I need fixed. Might try and copy your power set from theory, though."

"I look forward to it", she grins. "It would be nice to have you up there beside me. I know a few people, but none of my friends can visit, you know?"

At that point, a nurse catches us chattering, and we're each hustled back to our respective rooms for poking and testing. Doctors, heh. They take things too seriously.

Speaking of taking things seriously, here's Tansy with anime-character green hair, as Poe me is walking to breakfast. Surprisingly, it does actually go with her skin tone. She catches sight of me, and frowns, heading my way.

"You! This is your fault!"

"Uh, I definitely apologise wholeheartedly, but also, I'm confused what I did?" Last thing I saw her, we parted on somewhat positive, if embarrassing terms.

She sighs, perhaps surprised I'd apologise, "Look, you did a thing on Saturday which flooded the place with essence, right?" I nod. She continues. "I'm supposed to be looking after the three little witch brats, and number one rule is, do not let them steal enough essence to light their wells, or it'll end in tears. Which they are constantly trying to do. But you just poured out enough of it they didn't have to steal. All three of the damn brats lit up, Saturday, and they hid it for two damn days acting sweeter than candy, until I cussed them out this morning and boom, I've got green hair and they're all snickering like it's the funniest thing since Wile E Coyote. They're all with Grimes now but it sounds like she can't snuff it back out without harming them. So now I'm stuck herding brat-mages who sling spells with all the consideration of a five year old throwing food, and that is your damn fault."

"Okay, again, I apologise, and maybe I can help take some of the burden?", I offer.

She shakes her head. "Carson dropped this chore on me. She'd stop you the minute she heard of it. Grimes is making me a ward spell they won't be able to cast through, and this", she waves a hand at her hair, "will wear off. But it just makes my life harder."

"For what it's worth, it's not a bad colour on you", I say.

She sighs again. "Thank god it wasn't polka-dot puke yellow or something. You know, anything Jericho would wear. Maybe I'll keep the colour. Pretend like it's deliberate."

"Might be an idea", I say. "Break with the past, you know?" I'm not gonna bring up the alphas thing, but she knows what I mean.

"Wish I could." She honestly sounds tired.

"Maybe that's something I can help with", I say.


	91. Part 91

# # Part ninety one

"Like how?" Tansy sounds skeptical, which I can definitely understand.

It's cold out, she's clearly chilly even if I am not, and I don't want to move this discussion inside the hall where it would be overheard, so I glance around, spot a bench, and use a nudge of sorcery to blow the snow off it and warm it up. "Grab a seat", I say, doing so myself, "I'll keep the wind off. So I'm gonna make some guesses here, and you tell me if I'm wrong."

"Damn, that's convenient", she sits beside me, I bend the wind out of our way. "Okay, fire away. Not like I've got anything to lose."

"So number one. You clawed your way up the alphas under the Don, you made it to queen when he got what was coming to him, and you did it using masks that weren't really you. You were telling yourself it's worth it, to be the queen and have the power, but even while it was there, you couldn't make yourself care. It didn't feel real."

She looks at me sharply. "If you're reading my mind..."

"Educated guess, I'm not Foob."

She looks me up and down, and laughs, "Yeah, you're not, and thank god. So okay, I'll give you that. Fuck, it was such a chore."

"Ever had something you really liked, wanted to do, couldn't wait to get started? I'll bet doing it didn't feel like a chore."

There's a pause, as perhaps she looks back at a gentler memory. "Yeah. Yeah you're right. But it's not the same thing. Keeping power is work."

"Number two. The only way you were able to win it is by putting on a mask, and when you got it, it wasn't you that had it, it was the mask. So you basically felt like your life didn't have a place for you in it. It was all for this fake you, and you couldn't make yourself care. And when it all fell in a heap... well, then you're out of power, maybe even slightly relieved, and trying to get back there feels like climbing back up a greasy pole for a mask-you that you don't even like, but you don't know what else to do, and everything's fucked up."

She shuts her eyes and takes a deep sighing breath. "Fuck you for saying it, but you aren't wrong. The Don's pressuring me to join his dumbass crusade to be leader again, and the thought makes me want to vomit. But what else can I do?"

"I figure some of this is my fault", I say. "I figure, my influence here is kinda making you chafe at anything that isn't real, and that just makes it all worse. Like you can still go through the motions, but you can't really lie to yourself about it."

"Like I used to. Yeah." She looks dejected. "That's my life, now, though. I just feel stuck."

"So I'm gonna suggest a thing, and I know it's a big step and you'd be the first to try it, but... you know how my influence is just chugging along, and maybe it'll take months, maybe it'll take years, who knows? And meantime everything's half-way and neither this nor that. So I'm suggesting what I do is, I grab a hold and give you a good solid yank, all the way along to the end of the line in one go."

Various expressions cross her face. Disgust, curiosity, thoughtfulness, worry, mistrust. "And that does what, remakes me how you want me?"

"If I understand it right, it'll remake you into yourself. Not anyone else's idea, certainly not mine. Not willing to put up with a fake life of any sort. So you'll be facing the world as yourself, and then the friends you make, and the power you collect, if you want it, those will be truly yours."

"Would it make me into a slut?" That's asked quietly.

"It'll help you decide if you want to be one. What you've been up until now, that was climbing, right? That was putting on masks."

She nods. "Yeah. Shit. I'm just really realising how much I don't even know who I am. Did I even like that? I won't deny it felt good, you know, physically. But also like a fucking chore. Damn, why am I even telling you this stuff?"

"Because you kinda trust me and think there's a chance I can help."

She sighs, closes her eyes and thinks. "This feels like the biggest devil's bargain ever, you know. What do you get out of this, my soul?"

"I feel like I might get a friend." I look at her. "I think I can see a bit of what's under the mask, and I don't hate it."

"Friendship's the price, then?"

"No price. I'd only be taking you where you're already going anyway, and that's not worth a taxi fare. Friendship's more of a let's see if it works out thing, I just have a feeling, you know?"

"Okay... okay, fuck my life anyway, hit me. Do it, now. Before I chicken out."

"Alright, put your hand in mine." I hold out my hand, and she reaches hesitantly, then grasps it. I bring big me forwards, my eyes light up with glow, and together we feel out the ways she is still out of resonance with us, and with the new life laws, and pull her gently into resonance. Big me slides back and I squeeze her hand. "There, done, how do you feel?"

"Kinda no different. I thought it'd be more dramatic."

"Well, you're still you. More intensely you, if anything. How do you feel about the Don and his plans?"

"Oh fuck him entirely, never in a million years. God, I'm well out of that nightmare and I never want back. Oh damn, that's a weird feeling. And the Don is a snivelling loser and I have no idea how I could tolerate his shit. Also Hamper and Damper are fucking rapists. Ugh, I'd rather bathe in vomit. Don't take that as a suggestion." She laughs. "My thoughts are going a million miles an hour."

"C'mon, lets go inside and grab breakfast. I know there was bad blood between you and the Kimbas, but they can hush and learn that I keep my own counsel about who's going to be my friend."

We're joined by other me and Paige as we come in, finally released by the docs, although I've been told to come in later in the day to get my channel edits checked out. I've been telling Paige and Sara what's going on, so Sara's already got a chair free for Tansy. We head in as a group and join the lunch queue. Already, I can see we're getting looks from the Kimbas.

But the expected confrontation doesn't come from there first. Instead, a tall older kid with muscles like a football player says from behind us, "Tansy, why the fuck are you hanging out with miss spooky here?"

"Shove it, Hamper."

I turn to give the guy attention, passing my tray to other me, who starts filling the two trays up in my absence. "Problem?"

Tansy says, "Hamper here was just fucking off. Weren't you?"

"Tans, don't be like that. What's up with you, has she been messing with your head?"

"No, she's helped clear it. Hamper, you are a rapist and a jerk, I never could stand you. Go away."

"So it's like that huh. I bet your new friend doesn't know a bunch of things about you. You want them all to come out?"

She sighs and looks at me. "I was gonna tell her anyway. If you do, won't change anything. Maybe she'll hate me the one way, maybe she'll hate me the other way. I hope not, but I'm done with nasty little secrets. And you'd best worry how I feel about all your little secrets too. Run along, asshole, we're getting breakfast and you're interrupting."

"I am so gonna tell the Don about this."

"Saves me dealing with his slimy ass", she says to his retreating back.

I give her a reassuring hug, then accept my full tray from other me, and watch as she picks things out, with a pause before choosing, like she's never seen breakfast before. Then she, Paige and I head to the Pack table, while other me heads to the Kimbas.

Toni's the one who says it. "You and Tansy, seriously? Have you disappeared and been replaced with an evil clone? And why the hell is her hair green?"

"That's the normal part", Nikki points out. "She clearly just pissed someone off."

"That's kinda my fault, indirectly", I say, and then explain what happened, without giving out personal stuff, but I say how she agreed to let me rush-influence her. So she's turning over a new leaf, what's on the other side of that leaf none of us know, but she doesn't want her old allies.

Jade looks thoughtful. "I know the inside of her head all too well, and if there's one thing that might reform her it's that. If she has to confront all the lies..."

The various Kimbas kind of look at each other. Then Toni says, "Well, she still isn't my favourite person, but I'll grant her the benefit of the doubt for now." And judging from the others' faces, that seems to be the consensus.

"So anyhow", Toni says, "Tell us what you did yesterday. I want to get this from the horse's mouth. I don't hardly credit the rumours."

I grin. "They're probably true, you know." And launch into the non-classified rendition.

Over on the Pack table, everyone's coming and giving Paige welcome back hugs, which is sweet and she's all shy about it. Tansy, I notice, is kind of puppy dog eyeing the love pile-on. Then we get to sit down and eat, and this time Tansy takes over explaining what happened to her. "So yeah, I said yes, hit me, and she went and did it. And we're kind of still finding out what it means."

"Means you're the guinea pig", says Paige. "When people will be wondering, what does fully influenced mean, they'll look at you."

I bop her on the head for tactlessness. "Ass."

Tansy nods. "She's not wrong, though. And yeah, it is starting to feel different. Lots freer. Damn, I told Hamper to fuck off, I used to be terrified of him. While pretending to be his boss."

I say, "He's a nasty piece of work. And we'll probably have to deal with that crew, there's no way they're letting you go that easily."

Erin says, "Being around you should make them think twice. You're gathering a bit of a legend to yourself, you know."

"That'll just make them try and be sneaky about it", I say. "You know how the Don is. If he knew how to back down, he'd have laid off the Kimbas."

Tansy looks embarrassed, but nods. "You haven't been on the other side of them. They're terrifying forces of nature. I was happy when you came and offered me an out. I mean, I'm still annoyed but... damn, now I look at it, it was all me being an ass, wasn't it? And here I am feeling slighted when all they did was refuse to be stepped on. But you're right. He's gonna feel like you snatched me, he'll want me back just for his ego." She looks down thoughtfully. "'Scuse me a second", and stands up.

From the Kimba table, I pause the discussion of "no seriously, you swatted a what?" to see Tansy heading our way. Everyone else hushes too and turns to look.

"Hi, Kimbas. Sorry to come bothering you. I sort of just realised how much of an abject bitch I've been to all of you, especially you Jade. And I apologise. I know that won't make things better, but still, now I can see it clearly, I can't not at least say so. Sorry. I'm rambling. Anyhow. I owe you all big, and I know it, okay?"


	92. Part 92

# # Part ninety two

"Who are you and what have you done with Tansy?" Toni knows, but she can't resist getting a tease in.

Tansy looks at this me. "You did tell them, right?"

"I told them", I say.

Toni says, "Ya it's one thing to be told and another to see it. So are you gonna be miss goodie two-shoes now or something?"

Tansy pauses, makes a bit of a face, and then shrugs. "To be completely honest with you I have no fucking clue. I'm done with lying to myself, but I have no idea if that actually makes me nice."

"Seems like a good start, at least", Toni says. "On my part, apology accepted."

Ayla says, "We have history, you and I, and one apology isn't really enough, but if you want to make amends for real, we can talk after."

"I can do that", she nods. "I think I'm gonna be doing a bit of that for awhile."

Ayla nods.

Jade breaks the awkward silence. "For me and Jinn, we're willing to accept you might be becoming a better person, so we accept your apology for now, but will hold off deciding if we like you. No more kidnapping, okay?"

Tansy shudders. "I already swore off that, ugh. Hawthorne toilets. Not good memories. But yeah, sorry."

"Good enough for me", Jade smiles. And gets a mischievous look. "Maybe Sara can make introductions? I hear she has the monsters on a first name basis."

"Ugh, could you not? I seriously just got finished working through my PTSD from that. Let's change the topic, okay?"

"Okay, okay, nobody appreciates my ideas", Jade's pretend-moping. Causing Tansy to laugh and look a bit less green of skin.

Except now she's looking at Nikki, and going white instead, from some memory. "Um. This might be enough to doom me, but Nikki, I... I helped Hekate. With that mess at Christmas. I had... an idea what she was going to do to you, a strong guess at least. I could make all sorts of excuses, like she's a terrifying bitch and I couldn't dare say no to her face, but the reality is I was being vengeful, and power hungry. I'm completely disgusted with myself. I'm sorry, really truly."

Nikki looks at her for a moment, and then I can see her posture shift, and it's Aung's voice that says, "and will you admit this to the authorities?"

Tansy looks down. "If I do, they'll put me away for literally *life*, they'll weld the door and trash the key... but if you insist on it, then I will. Mercy, please?"

Aung says, "We are not so easily swayed to forgiveness as the others, but we will wait, and watch, and not yet answer either yes or no. You may earn your mercy." And then Nikki's posture shifts again, and she says, "What she said."

Tansy takes a breath in, lets it out, and nods. "I'll try. Okay, I'll quit taking up your time." She heads back to the other table, looking shaken.

Plopping herself down in her seat at the Pack table, she shudders. "That was *not* easy. And there's so many other people. I don't think I'm gonna survive this." She puts her head in her hands, and when I put an arm around her, she leans into me, and cries. "I'm sorry, I'm just a blubbering mess. Why can't I control my emotions?"

It's Hippolyta who answers that. "I think, you can control them, but do not want to. Lies start with the kind of control that sweeps feelings under the carpet. You choose to face the pain and not deny it. There are other kinds of control, but you have not learned them yet, I think."

Tansy sighs, tears aren't running down her face any more, but she stays leaning against me. "I think you're right, and that's why I'm about half way to manic. There's so much I just... never got used to handling any way but denial. Damn, this is gonna mess me up for a bit, isn't it?" She looks up at me. "Also I think I'm turning into a dyke, because you smell so nice. And I said that out loud. Oh god, I have no filter and I'm doomed." She covers her face again. Paige is hiding a giggle behind her hand.

"Well upside, maybe you meet someone who doesn't mind at all that you find her nice smelling. Like me for example", I say.

"Oh good. I mean, bad, I mean, oh hell. It's going to trash my useless mask of a reputation but...", and she determinedly pushes her breakfast tray aside, stands, steps up onto the chair and then the table, and stamps hard to make a bang and get attention, causing a hush. Pitching her voice up to carry, "If Saladin can goddamn well come out, so the fuck can I. My name is Tansy Walcutt, my codename is Solange, and I'm a goddamn dyke. I like girls. I... don't think I like boys. And there, I've got no damned reputation left, and you may all fucking laugh at me." And she jumps down.

The first one to clap is Jade. Then the Kimbas and Pack join in, and then like Saladin, the whole of Poe. And a number of others. Clapping and cheering, while she's hiding her face in her hands and crying. But I can see, also smiling at the same time. I don't think this is the response she expected.

I pull her into a hug, and it turns just naturally into a kiss, and we both get quite involved in the kiss, and it takes a moment to notice the cheering went up a notch. Hehehe. When the kiss ends, I say, "I'm poly with Sara and Paige, and I sometimes play with Petra and Jet, if you don't mind that? And Erin's exclusive with Sara but we're close."

She says "I've fucked half the school. No complaints from me."

"Then welcome to the family."

Much hugging ensues, and Tansy's practically glowing and also crying, and I think she hasn't felt this included in... basically ever.

Except, I have two bodies in the room, and what one can't see, the other can - trouble headed our way. Hamper, another kid who looks so similar to him I'm presuming its Damper, and some teacher, a black guy in a tweed suit.

"Heads up, Tansy, I think we have unwelcome company."

She blinks and looks up. And frowns, as the group reaches us. "Doctor Carstaires."

"Miss Walcutt. We meet under unusual circumstances. Hamper, Damper, thank you, you may go, now." Those two look like they don't want to be dismissed, but leave with bad grace, smirking and making throat-cut signs at me. He continues. "Miss... Parallel. We haven't met before. Do you have a name you wish to share with me?" His accent is precise and British, with Jamaican undertones.

"I'm Jules, no surname", I say.

He nods, "Then I shall call you miss Parallel for now. Come along with me please, and you too, Miss Walcutt."

He doesn't lead us far, just nabs an empty classroom in Schuster and sits us down, putting an obvious recorder in front of us and pressing REC. "Alright. This is being recorded, do either of you wish to have a lawyer present?"

I shake my head and so does Tansy.

He continues, "Miss Parallel, I know you haven't been assigned any psychic arts classes, because you don't have a psi rating, and that may have been a mistake. Do you know what the Canon of Psychic Ethics is?"

"I've read it when I read the library", I nod. "I agree with it. Outside of defending myself or others, I wouldn't interfere with someone's mind without their explicit consent."

"But you do have the capability?", he asks.

I nod. "Several different ways. Biological control. Sorcery. Influence. Probably more if I put my mind to inventing them, which I haven't."

"Then you will begin taking psychic ethics classes immediately, whatever else comes out of this. I will speak to your adviser and arrange timing." I nod to that.

"Now, next", he says, "Miss Walcutt. Tell me what happened to change your personality quite so radically, and so suddenly."

"It was consensual."

He says, "You know full well that the victim of a psychic attack often thinks that. Tell me the what, please, and the why."

"Well, you know her radio show Saturday?"

"Yes, I listened to it."

"Then you know what influence is. She used that on me, but all the way up to eleven. Dragged me right the way down the line to the end in one go."

He looks at me, "You can do that? I thought it was involuntary."

"Beneath a certain level I can't turn it down, it's just a function of being around me", I say. "But I can turn it up. And if I bring big me forward to help, I can pull someone into full resonance."

"And can you undo it, put them back?"

I pull a face at the thought. "I honestly don't know. It would be pushing them uphill, it might not be stable at all, and I'm pretty sure I shouldn't, It would be like sawing off an amputated limb I'd helped them regrow, unethical even if it put them back to a previous state."

"So what you did is effectively irreversible."

I nod.

"Alright, miss Walcutt, continue, why did you consent to this?"

She takes a moment to decide how to answer, then says, "I'd got myself into a trap. Chasing power I didn't want, through people I didn't like, because of lies I couldn't make myself let go of. I could see the trap but not make myself step out of it. I was talking to Jules about it, and she suggested running her influence on me, all at once, not spread out over months of time. So instead of being inched out of the trap, all the while digging myself deeper in trouble until I finally gave up and started digging the long way back out, I'd be yanked out in one go. Just not able to live a lie any more, at all. All my reputation and shit would come crashing down, but I felt like I didn't mind that."

"And do you have evidence of this conversation?"

She shakes her head. "We talked outside, it's probably on the cameras, but we didn't want to be overheard."

"Why not?"

"I... was embarrassed", she says.

I add, "I didn't want my friends to attack her. There's been bad blood between her and the Kimbas, she's already gone a long way to repairing it, but this was before that. They might have started something I couldn't damp down and the moment would be lost."

"The moment, hmm? So you were planning something?"

"I was planning to try and befriend her. I felt potential and hoped to bring it out. Her being deposed from the Alphas represented an opportunity to face her with one foot out of the trap. Our conversation started by chance, but my intent had been simmering, if on the back burner, for a bit. I would have arranged an interaction, one way or the other. The actual idea to use deliberate influence, rather than lean on the ambient to nudge her, popped up after we got talking. But it seemed to work well for both of us."

Which makes Tansy chuckle. "You're sneakier than you look."

Doc Carstaires looks curious. "And how do you feel about the conversation, now that she has laid those cards on the table?"

"She told me before I said yes, that what she wanted was friendship. I asked if it was the price, she said no price. I think she had an idea she could get me as a friend, you know, the proper way. No need to twist my arm." She chuckles. "I should have known, after Saturday. She's a sharp negotiator when she wants to be. But then, what she was after, both times, that was a win for me and a win for her."

Doc Carstaires nods thoughtfully.


	93. Part 93

# # Part ninety three

"Do I need to go into Saturday?" Doc Carstaires asks.

Tansy and I look at each other, and giggle. I say, "Not if you have any prudish sensibilities. And influence wasn't involved except, well, indirectly. Via certain rule changes."

He chuckles. "Then we can safely leave that aside. Alright. I won't detain either of you further, as lessons are about to start, but I have to warn you both that I've concluded the matter needs to be referred upward. The reasons are the irreversibility, the fact it has changed Miss Walcutt's personality quite radically, and the fact negotiation was carried out without witnesses and without involving school authorities or parents. You will understand, since what we discovered after Christmas, we have reason to worry about students taking matters into their own hands. Miss Walcutt, will you be prepared to undergo a full psychic examination?"

She looks at me, worried. Then says, "I don't like Foob, but he keeps secrets. If it's him, then yes."

I add, "Foob already knows all my secrets, I think. He's welcome to check me too."

Doc Carstaires nods. "Thank you. You've both been cooperative. I shall say no more." Was that a pointed glance at Tansy? But he leaves, giving us a chance to catch our breaths, and me to give Tansy a comforting hug.

"I'm just thinking back to Saturday. You were already working on me then, weren't you?" She chuckles. "Feels like I was played all the way down the line, but then, played into something I wanted. Strange feeling."

I sigh. "As soon as we get an opportunity, which is probably not now - I'm already headed to my classes with my other bodies, but you need to head to yours - I need to tell you just how deep that particular rabbit hole goes. Yes, I have been playing with a few advantages. But also yes, I've been trying to make things actually work out well, for you amongst others."

She nods. "Lunchtime perhaps. I have fourth period free."

I grin. "Lunchtime works for me."

I've got Necromancy, Dyffud, and devisor lab. Paige walks with Sara and me over to Necromancy, while I keep the two of them filled in about what Carstaires is doing. The ex-alphas have surely had enough run-ins with the wrong side of psychic ethics to pick the stuffiest prof to sic on us. My guess is they have some sort of board of ethics to refer me to, but Sara shakes her head. "There isn't one, oddly enough. More like particular individuals they go to. But if it goes high enough up the line, there's the Head, and the school board."

"I'd be surprised if the Don has any pull with the faculty here, especially after he was deposed. But I'd be unsurprised if he has some pull on the board. Either his own, or borrowed."

Sara nods. "His obvious next move, yes."

Paige says, "Time to bring the hammer down on him. I have no need to hide the Circuit Breaker any more, and he's messing with one of ours. Two, in fact..."

"Hold fire, but ready the blow", I say. "Wait until he's done revealing his allies."

Paige nods with a slightly dark grin. "I can do that. Oh, that's interesting. I don't have the files, they're in offline media, but I have a conversation... There's a DVD out there with the Don admitting mind rape. And I suspect Tansy might know more. Although Kodiak probably holds the keys, now. A good lead to begin with." She chuckles. "I'll busy myself, you two have a good lesson."

We kiss her bye and head into the classroom with smirks.

When I arrive at Dyffud's class, I can see that Becca is already there, and they're talking. It only takes a moment to change into sweats, and then I join them. "Come in", says Dyffud. "I've been hearing interesting stories about you."

"Was it the orbital bombardment one or the messing with my channels one?", I tease back.

"Oh both, staff has scuttlebutt like you wouldn't believe, but from Becca here, about your channels."

"They're linked", I say. "I burned myself out badly catching that bullet. Then I went and chased down the place that got surge-burned and fixed it to carry a heavier current."

Becca says, "What she did is a little out of my depth. I've seen cultivation result in wider channels, over decades of effort. But she seems to have just reached in and widened them. As far as I can tell, they're flowing very well, and could carry a higher level of chi, but she has no training with it."

Dyffud nods. "She might be able to widen them in an instant, but growing into her new abilities will take longer. Of course, this one also learns extremely fast. I'll pick up the martial side, but could you take her on for the less martial forms of cultivation? I don't think morning Tai Chi will be enough for this."

"Chou Lee is still my primary pupil."

I say, "For obvious reasons, I'm very flexible on time."

She nods. "There will be time, but it will be irregular. Not a scheduled class. I will simply turn up and say, a copy with me please."

"It seems a very Taoist way to take lessons. I can certainly live with that", I say.

In devisor lab, I'm busy trying to solve the bridging to links issue, based on what Sara gave me yesterday. Paige's powers connect her mutant trait to the electronic world, and the mechanism underlying it is the abstract principle that will let me connect my stuff up to a spell at the soul level. Turning that abstraction into a practical gizmo, though, is proving troublesome. The *simple* solutions need six dimensions. And I've never tried to make warps at the atomic scale. It's proving fiddly. Unfortunately, big me really isn't at home in the physical world, and can't help much except as a simulator-calculator. And the fact that I can simulate a thing doesn't mean that I can make it.

In the mean time, I'm getting odd looks for making vacuum bubbles appear, produce burnt resistor smell, and collapse again. I'm in full on Muttley cussing mode, calling it a rassle-frassle bedanged thing.

Bugs is the one who decides to come over. "Looks like you're trying to make something and can't get it to go?"

"Yeah, the warp keeps collapsing on me", I sigh. "It's too fiddly to hold and drop in the atoms at the same time. They keep setting up reverberations and collapsing it."

"Can I see?"

"Got links?"

"Ya, Jade gave them to me. Nice piece of work. I don't even mind my subspace stuff being obsoleted."

"Okay, I'll send you a math summary and a simulation image."

It takes a bit of work to crunch down the math into something more like a sketch that should fit in a physical mind, and I blat it over, along with my latest, non working simulation.

I may not have crunched it enough, because she goes white and has to sit down. "Ow, warn a girl, would ya? I feel like I've been whacked by a space alien textbook from Mars. What're you trying to do with the godawful thing? Looking at that image is giving me the inside-outs. Uh, kinda looks like you're trying to make a binary switchable junction and it's moving the information... somewhere? God, if your head is like this..."

"The full math won't fit in my head either, but I've got a non-physical part that can hold it", I say. "The gadget is for moving physical information to where it's reachable from soul level. And others with the flow reversed can move it back."

"Soul... oh! I see, you're hooking it up to the links, aren't you?"

I nod. "First as a one off, and flowing the info more or less directly to me. But later, I kinda hope to be able to do quite a lot with it."

She grins as she thinks of the possibilities. "Oh this'll change everything. Well, if you can figure how a human machine could make it, anyhow. That's important to be able to manufacture at scale. They always bother us about that."

They presumably being the teachers. But hmm. That kind of gives me an idea. "Hold that thought. I've been trying to make the warp myself. But what if I made a machine to make it..."

She grins, knowing the signs of an engineer with an idea. "Go for it, I'm rooting for ya."

I notice though, as I get calculating a sequence of precursor machines-to-make-machines, that she heads right for another cup of devisor coffee. I do hope I didn't do her harm.

Necromancy class today is surprisingly hands-on. Circe's style is definitely different! We've got live frogs and necromantically re-animated frogs and we have to observe the difference. I mean, they aren't too different to look at, but the differences on life sense are stark. And when I soul dive one, the connections are completely messed up. I end up having to ask Circe to let me repair them, because I just can't stand seeing them half-connected like that. Which she agrees to, and then everyone gets to watch while I reconnect their souls right and repair their life processes. I've got live ones for comparison and it helps. When we're done, well, they're all live frogs. And I get to call necromantic magic sloppy and half-arsed. No wonder it has a bad rep with the nature types. And then they try and see if there are differences between repaired frogs, and never-dead ones, and that makes for an interesting discussion too. (They couldn't find any, but some people insisted it was still unnatural life, and Sara called that a distinction without a difference, and it got a bit heated.)

With Becca gone, Dyffud's class picks up like the last one, attack and defend, defend and be attacked. But he weaves in chi stuff, like, getting me to really put effort into only moving intent-first. And try and feel out how his intent is moving. Having some of my attention at the channels level helps. I can see, too, when his attacks touch it (pretty often) and speculate how to mitigate. When I ask him if I should be hot-fixing the channels level, he says "In a real battle, yes. Here, no. I want you to feel the effects and learn to compensate for those. And I won't do anything lastingly destructive. Don't tinker lightly at that level. It's as essential to life as your autonomic nerves."

"Only one surviving chi mutant", I say.

"You know that? Good. It should put a slight brake on your desire to fiddle with everything." He chuckles. "Don't think I haven't noticed it. You aren't happy with anything you haven't monkeyed with and made better. Most especially yourself."

"So far so good", I tease.

He nods. "Luck and help, and you do actually ask for guidance and try things slowly at first, which is better than some."

"It's true, but it's also true I'm trying to change in a hurry", I say. "I've got my reasons for rushing."

He nods. "I can feel that urgency in you, too. Be careful it doesn't distort you. You may end up so busy growing sharp edges you forget to grow softness. Even in the martial arts that's important."

We spend the rest of the lesson practising soft martial styles, I think I recognise some Tai Chi in there, and maybe Bagua Zhang? And as expected, I am repeatedly handed my ass. This class is definitely good for my humility, although I'm also learning a lot of technique.


	94. Part 94

# # Part ninety four

End of second period, and I need to head over from necromancy class to costume design. I'll just vanish the me that was in Dyffud's class, she's sweaty. And I'm still busy down in devisor lab, and making good progress on my link-connected instrumentation pack. It should sit flush against my back like a glue-on backpack, and once I'm done putting it together I should be able to appear one in place whenever I need it. All of the instruments have separate link feed, and I've got just about anything they put in the cockpit of non-military planes except active radar. That would bulk it up and I've got g-sense. I still put passive radar, though, and radio. The whole thing runs off the same kind of miniature power plant as my sabers. I'm rather looking forward to giving it a go.

As I'm walking across between classes a flash of blonde yellow catches my attention, and turning, it's Tansy, sat on a bench and looking like she's been crying. Okay, I'll split, one of me heads to class, one crunches through the snow, over to her. She looks up, and then down again, hastily dabbing at her face with a tissue. Then back up. "Hey Jules, don't you have classes?"

I point. "That's me over there going to 'em. What's up? Trouble?"

She sighs. "That must be so useful. Yeah, I thought I had classes too, but I just got tossed out. Today has...", her voice catches, "Today has not been easy."

"Want to talk about it? Or want hugs?"

A short snort of laughter. "Why is it the first time ever someone's asked me that? Damn. But yeah, give me a second and I'll talk." She takes a deep breath. "Okay so, all morning it's been the same damn thing. I turn up to class, I realise I've been coasting and paying someone to do my homework, I panic and try to cram-read the textbook, teacher confronts me, and it just all comes out. And they throw a fit. I just got thrown out of French lit. Not sure if I'm off the course, or just out for today. Fuck, I'm so doomed. I wouldn't go back, but, old me knew how to lie. New me just can't, half the damn time. Or is so spectacularly bad at it that it comes out as a mumble."

I nod. "I think it's because what you'd be lying about is your life. Means you'd have to live inside the lie."

She pulls a face at that. "Ugh. Yeah. Point, I suppose, but my grades are going to be shit. They'll blame it on you, you know? You broke my brain."

"Handle that problem when I come to it", I say. "I'm thinking you'll catch back up in no time, if you want to. Cram the texts, read the notes. Talk to the teachers where you've got gaps."

"This is gonna be so much work", she says in a small voice. "There goes all my free time."

"Look, what's your next class after lunch? We can study it up together."

"You're a freshman, you don't have the prerequisites." She sounds a little sullen.

"I learn fast. Trust me."

"Okay, okay. Economics for villains."

"Got the text?"

"In my room." She gets up, brushes off snow, and we set off together. As we walk, she says, "Back when I had people to spy for me, I did ask them to look into you. The answers I got back, I thought they were exaggerations. Did you really read the whole library?"

"All of ARC, and about two thirds of Whateley so far. Mostly because I've been distracted, or the remaining books are on dull topics. Like, who actually needs to know the ins and outs of British cricket?"

She laughs, "Yeah, I can see that not being top of your reading list. But, you know, the answer I got most was, she's harmless if left alone but she fucks people up when they cross her. Makes me wonder what was going through my head when I confronted you."

I consider that. "Felt like you wanted someone to listen and care."

"Why pick you, though? Although, I suppose I didn't exactly have options."

"I think you're a better judge of character than you let yourself notice. You met me Saturday, you had time to form an impression. You knew I'd give you a fair hearing."

"How'd you mean, than I let myself notice?"

"Well, you kinda had to have silenced a few alarms, given who you were hanging with."

She winces. "Harsh, but fair. Of course I was no better. Was, am, what even am I now?" She looks down. "I feel like you woke up my conscience, but, even with that, all my habits are what they were. I keep thinking things and then feeling awful for even having the idea. And there's a bunch of things I know will work, but then I'd have to live inside the lie, so they're non-starters. Suddenly I'm a beginner at my own life."

"My suggestion, look for the win-win, and ideally not just trade-offs, but every part of the deal beneficial. Then you're working with the new rules as a wind at your back. You can even be sneaky about it, you don't have to give that up. They don't necessarily have to know your plans. As you will later discover."

"You're still saving that for lunchtime, huh?"

I nod. "Study first. Here I am, scheming to make the second half of your day nicer than the first, you see?"

She laughs. "Alright, alright. I get what you mean."

In costume design class, I'm on a mission to find out what a suit needs to be space capable. It turns out to be a series of trade-offs. Do I want a contained air bubble, or would pressure from tight-woven fabric be enough? Do I want radiation shielding? What kind, passive mass shielding, or active force field? What about micro-meteors and orbital junk? How about heat control? The sun is extremely hot out there, and the shadows are very cold.

Given I don't actually plan to do much on orbit, it might be simplest to just stick with what I've got. Really, the biggest problems for me are heat and radiation. I mean, I already know that I can tank a lot of radiation, but it still does unpleasant things to me. And, well, I roast as easily as any other meat based lifeform. As has been recently demonstrated. Even if I could just heal the damage, outside of an emergency, my rule against being callous prevents it.

Maybe I'm thinking too physical? Could I use a spell to turn the nasties aside? That... actually makes sense. I can easily build in rate and cumulative dose triggers, make the response scale to the problem, and leave it up 24/7. Bonus, that would give me something like an early warning sense, I'd feel it go active. I'll need to study the spell structure though, physical phenomena are not something I've messed with much. I wonder who has radioisotopes so I can test it?

Tansy closes the book. "Enough, my brain's complaining."

I nod. "It's cool. You did a lot. And you knew more than you thought you did."

She leans back in the chair, which is a pleasant sight. "How in hell did I learn stuff when I was just 'meh' about it at the time?"

I consider that. "Looking back, how did you feel about it? Like, before the class started."

"Like it was beneath me. I'd have minions to do that."

"And during the actual lesson?"

She pauses, then says, "Sometimes it was interesting. But I pushed that down." She sighs. "There's this whole pattern playing out in my head, it goes something like, what on earth are you doing, Tansy Walcutt, slumming it with the victims, when you're the predator. So I generally went and did something awful."

"Don't get caught in that for now", I say. "Try thinking back to the feeling of interestingness. And jumping around, thinking of other stuff you found interesting in the same way."

She looks over. "What're you trying to do?"

"Connecting up dots."

"Ah." She looks thoughtful. "I see what you mean. I never connected the dots because I didn't like what they'd draw. But now I look... I guess I like stuff? Shit, am I a nerd?"

I laugh. "Being a nerd is an endearing feature. Look, I think what kinda happened this morning, you got hung up on your own image of yourself as not bothering to learn things. But the reality is you did kinda learn them, despite yourself. There'll be studying to do, to cover gaps, but you needn't panic. I bet you'll be able to sync up in no time, even in the classes you had trouble in this morning. They were just shocked, so were you. Talk to the teachers, it'll work out."

She sighs. "Oh god I hope so. And now it kind of does feel that way. Damn."

"C'mon, time for lunch", I say. "And then all the family secrets, good and not so good."

She nods. And smiles. "You know, that was my first time in years just hanging out and studying like that? Like, Sahar studies, but she doesn't share. Or just casually talk like that."

"Don't write her off, new you might get along with her. Or at least find a different kind of détente."

She laughs. "Stranger things have happened. Hell, Tansy damn Walcutt coming out to everyone in Crystal Hall. That was pretty damn strange."

"Seemed brave and wonderful to me."

"Hartford's gonna kill me for blowing all my straight girl cred."

"Ask her who's the most eligible lesbian on campus right now?"

"And how many lesbians are there? Besides, I'm with you."

"I'm notoriously polyamorous. Your choice whether you want to be too. And the answer is way, way more than you'd think. As you shall soon discover. But that way leads to secrets I can't reveal... yet."

She grins. "Seriously, you give me hope for my sneaky side. You and your secrets. Okay, let's go."

Crystal Hall is filling up as one of me makes my way in from costume class, and the other with Tansy. There's a sort of feeling of tension in the air, in the hall. I exchange looks with Tansy. We both know something sure is up, but what?

Trays full of tasty looking food, we're making our way to our seats when there's a banging on the table, it's the Head. She looks like she hasn't slept.

"Okay, shut the hell up, I've got some announcements. First up, yearbook photos are on the first of February. Ms Hartford will be sending around a mail. Read it. Second, our negotiations with the US government are proceeding, and we've got an agreement that students who were not involved in Monday's battle will be permitted exeats without being harassed, so most of you are no longer confined to campus. Third, most of our visitors will be leaving today. Those who remain will be staying to ensure the school's safety until negotiations conclude. Which will, I hope, be soon."

She looks around the room. "And now finally I hand you over to Mrs Horton, who is the house mother of Poe Cottage. She has an announcement to make." She gestures to Mrs Horton, who stands up, while the Head sits down.

Mrs Horton clears her throat, takes a deep breath. "Last Saturday night, all the students in Poe Cottage agreed by unanimous consent that we would reveal the Poe secret to the school. After the events of this morning, this feels like the right time."

I grin to Tansy, making her give me a 'what?' look back. This is going to change everything.


	95. Part 95

# # Part ninety five

Mrs Horton looks around the silent Crystal Hall. "Since the vote on Saturday, the upperclassmen and I have met to discuss how we should release this secret." She gestures, and a number of people stand up around the hall. Hippolyta at the Pack table. Several others I recognise.

Continuing, she says, "We decided the best way was to make it personal. And so that's why I'll be introducing you to these upperclassmen. Some of you already know them, or think you do. You may learn something new about them today."

With a gesture towards one of the students, a boy, she starts things off.

"Hi, my codename is Banned Aids. I'm a healer and I'm looking to go into medicine as a career. I'm also very gay, and that's why I was placed in Poe."

"Hi, my codename is Zenith. I run the WARS radio station, I'm the fixer at Poe, and I run with the Parkour Hooligans. I was born a boy, and I gradually became a girl after manifesting. I'm a lesbian. That's why was placed in Poe."

"I am Hippolyta. I like girls, do not like boys. This is why I was placed in Poe."

"Hey, I'm Shrike. I was born in the wrong body, but thankfully when I manifested, that fixed itself. Who I like to date is my own damn business. That's why I was placed in Poe."

"Hi, my codename is Befana. I really, really like girls. That's why I was placed in Poe."

As the introductions go on, I glance at Tansy and see tears running down her face, unheeded. I pull her into a hug. She looks at me and whispers, "you too?". I nod. "After."

As we reach the last introduction, Mrs Horton picks up again. "Poe Cottage has been a secret since the founding of the present school. Not everyone who was placed in Poe is gay or lesbian. Some are bisexual. Some have been changed by their manifestation, or changed themselves, into a different sex than the body they were born with - male, female, both or neither. Those students refer to themselves as changelings. Some are now straight in their new form. Others not."

She pauses, then, "Poe has been a haven away from discrimination, but it has also created discrimination, by allowing those who held bigoted beliefs to think they ran the school. We know well, we have seen just this morning, that there are students who are gay, or changelings, who are in cottages other than Poe. And they must feel very isolated and alone there. As you can see you are not alone. Please come over, make friends."

She takes another deep breath, looks around the room. "My name is Bella Horton. I am a trained educator and a wizard. I am bisexual, and that is why I was placed in charge of Poe. Thank you."

Absolute silence. Then absolute applause. Everyone who clapped for Tansy and Saladin, and more besides. Howls and cheers. Stamping and hooting. It's amazing.

Eventually it quiets, to be replaced by an excited buzz of conversation.

"So yeah", I say to Tansy. "I was born in the wrong body. Three weeks ago, I was still stuck in a body I hated. Then my manifestation took me here, and changed me. I'm also intersex. And very lesbian."

"I'm just, I can't..." She shakes her head. "Every girl in Poe is into girls?"

"Not all, but most."

Paige says, "Not just in Poe. Paige, Cyberkitty, changeling, intersex and lesbian. I'm in Hawthorne."

Sara says, "I'm in Hawthorne now, but I was in Poe. Sara, Carmilla, Changeling and bi, but mostly lesbian. I changed when my demon self manifested."

"Erin, Feral, changeling and lesbian."

"Jamie, Heyoka. I was born a girl. Now I'm neither unless I've shifted because of a spirit."

"Jet, what I am now is complicated, but I was born in the wrong body and I'm loving being a girl."

"Gypsy, I'm the token straight cis one."

Tansy just looks shaken. "Why so many changelings?"

I shrug. "Seems to be a thing. There's a lot of us in Poe."

"The Kimbas?"

"Will come out to you if they want to."

"Oh my God." She laughs, and it's a little hysterical. "This morning I was alone. And now... there aren't words."

"This wasn't the family secret I expected to come out first", I say. "But it's a good beginning."

She looks at me. "There's more?"

I nod. "Several things. Some bigger than this."

She just shakes her head. Draws breath to say something, then pauses and frowns. I follow her gaze. Cody is headed over.

"Mind if I draw up a seat?", he says - then proceeds to do so unbidden, opposite Tansy.

"What is it, Cody?" She sounds short tempered.

"I'm checking up on you, Tansy. You've been behaving in uncharacteristic ways. There's talk that a certain somebody brainwashed you." He looks at me.

"Idiot", she says, drawing his attention back. "You've been listening to Hamper and Damper, and they're whispering poison words in your ear that Sebastiano gave them. I'm not brainwashed. I'm influenced. And I consented."

"And that's why you told everyone you're a lesbian?"

"You're concerned about your manhood, then? Don't be, it's enjoyable." Ouch.

He winces. "Tansy, you know I didn't mean it like that. Look, your personality suddenly changed, I'm concerned."

She sighs. "Everything I'm saying out in the open today, I've been feeling... ugh, it's hard to tell because I was lying to myself for so long. But for ages. And when I say I don't think I like boys, it's because I've spent so long playing them for fools, or being played for a fool by them, that I just want a rest from that. You were nice, okay? Call it good memories."

He looks around. "At any rate, you seem to have started a landslide."

"Don't get me started. I thought I was stepping out into the icy wilderness. Then half the damn school was already there. More lesbians than I thought, she says." She shakes her head, and looks at me, amused.

Cody looks at me. "And you, what do you get out of this?"

"Friendship was what I was aiming for. Things moved faster than I anticipated, but it's good."

"Sure is good for you", he nods.

"Cody, don't be like that", Tansy pleads.

"Then why didn't you confide in me?"

"Because everything that I was around you was a lie, idiot! How could I show you the truth? Here I am with my bare-ass truth hanging out in public and you call me brainwashed. If I'd tried to broach the subject, you'd have thought I was manipulating you."

He considers that. And I can see it's genuine consideration. Then says, "If you'd been brainwashed, I'd expect to see a dulling of your edge. But I'm not seeing it. The contrary, in fact." He looks thoughtful. "You angling for a place in the new Alphas?" I notice he doesn't say 'your old place back'. That evidently isn't on the menu.

I see her wince, and about to react, then hold it back. She takes a breath. "I want to see what you make of them. If it's anything like the hash I made of it, I won't want to come within a nautical mile. But maybe you'll make something good of them. Even then", she pauses. "Even then, I want to get my bearings as who I am, now. And I want to feel I've earned in."

He nods. "That's a very good answer, that's an answer that gives me hope. Very well. Looks like whatever it was miss spooky here did, it agrees with you." He stands and smiles. "I'll see you both around."

Tansy takes a breath, blows it out. "Damn. That actually didn't go badly."

I nod. "He's an interesting one. I don't exactly trust him, but it feels like he means well. How're you feeling? Able to handle more stuff?"

She nods. "Do it."

"Okay, smallest one first, but it'll let us do the others. Have you heard of links?"

"There's rumours, a communication thing?"

"An untappable, unblockable communication network built out of a spell hidden down at the soul level. My own invention. It's deliberately viral, anyone with a link can give it away to anyone else who wants one. I only ask that they consider who they give it to."

"And I just have to want it?"

I feel the link connect, and say down it, "Yup, just like that."

She grins. "That is so neat."

Doesn't take long to show her how to work groups. And then I get her in a group with those of the Pack who like to talk secrets.

"Okay so, here comes the biggie. It's in two parts. First up. When I came here, that was when I manifested, and I teleported and burned out. Why would one teleport burn me out? Well, it wasn't just long distance. It was across time and across universes. I came from a different version of this world, one where there aren't any mutants, just baselines. How did I manifest, how did I get here? I'm not sure, but I think my GOO self did it. Reaching backwards in time from when she hatched. Yes, I'm aware that's a bootstrap paradox. That's probably how I also had the enormous luck to be dropped right here in the lap of Whateley. And how I got just the right combination of powers to become who I am."

She looks surprised, but nods. "Okay, that's weird, but I can handle that."

"Next part is really serious secret information. Tell the wrong person and billions could die. The Head knows, people who need to hear it know, but it hasn't gone further."

"I'll keep it secret."

"Okay. This one's hard to believe, except that you can verify it by seeing the effects in my actions. Before I came here, I knew people here, I knew a lot of the rules of this place, I knew about mutants. From across in another universe."

"How in the hell..."

"It was fiction. I read it." I use the link to send an image of the website, ugly-ass graphics and all. Something I couldn't do last time I was discussing this. "I read the stories of people who were fiction protagonists. Mostly Kimbas and Pack. I read background info wiki pages. I got a few days worth of advance knowledge of the timeline, a lot of backward knowledge of the past. And a lot of over the shoulder views of people and what they were doing and thinking. Including Jinn's time with you. So like I said, I was working at an advantage."

She goes silent and thinks for a bit. "The sims, you warned them?"

"I was close to the end of my advance knowledge at that point, I knew something would happen, because I knew there was a story. I told them to expect shenanigans, that's all. I've changed the timeline enough that the advance knowledge is mostly moot now, but there are literally hundreds of other stories, stretching over a decade into the future. You can imagine how ruinous that resource could be in the wrong hands. Plans, blackmail material, insights into people. And how easily it could be taken, in a world with no mutants."

"Christ. Yes." A pause. "The Kimbas, of all people, are protagonists?"

"And you as well, I think, although I didn't reach those stories."

"Fuck. This breaks my brain. Does that mean we have no free will?"

"Don't think it does", I say. "I feel like I have it. What does it mean that we're reflected into another world's fiction? Mostly means they get good stories. It gave me a boost when I came here, but that boost is mostly moot now. It's just, it was important for you, personally, because I was using that to know you."

"Shit, and you got Jinn's perspective, which means you saw me at my worst."

"She saw your potential, too."


	96. Part 96

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning: dark emotions

# # Part ninety six

The group of us, minus Erin, Hippolyta and Gypsy who have other stuff to do, head for Sara's room. Sara can only stay until the end of lunch; I'm in the same class but of course I can stay behind. Still, that gives us a short while for further planning and talks. As we step into the Lovecraft room, I can see Tansy doesn't really approve of the decor, although she's trying not to show it. Obsidian and red silk is maybe not her style.

"So", Paige says once we're rotated, "I've got two things we can possibly use to deal with the Don and his crap. Tansy, you might know more about this?" and she plays back a snippet of Cody's voice saying "we found a couple intact DVDs in one of the drawers that used to be locked. One of 'em had you gloating about what Hekate did to Cav and Sky. While you made Cav give you head! You sick bastard!"

Tansy looks down. "Uh, yeah. Cody probably still has those. I don't have the keys any more, sorry."

"Physical lock or electronic? Because between my powers and Jules' tentacles, we can go through most."

"Both, when I last saw it. But he's not an idiot, he'll have moved it. He'll choose a location I don't know."

Paige nods. "Other one is from just this last Sunday, early AM." She streams us some video from security cameras. Two dark-clad figures pad past. Then shortly after, Hamper and Damper do too. "They stay in a camera dark zone for a few minutes. The audio channels on the nearest cameras are all fuzzed over. Then this." She shows another segment, there's what sounds like thumping noises, then Hamper and Damper rush through the frame looking worse for wear, and there's a shout of "Cowards!" from a girl I don't recognise. Paige says, "They've hidden what happened between the two, but there's video of nearby windows, with street lights reflected."

I see. "Vibrations in the glass. You want me to try and extract the sound?"

She nods.

"Stream it over then. As much resolution as you can pull." The video comes over, and I begin analysis. "Got it, here we go." I begin playback, and we hear a muffled voice saying "Late night stroll?" then another I recognise as Hamper saying "Late night stroll? Because we wouldn't want to interrupt", and the first voice picking up with "Unless of course you were thinking of doing things you shouldn't in a certain data base with our areas. We wouldn't take kindly", and Hamper finishing the sentence, "to that kind of goings on."

Paige pumps a fist in the air. "Woo! Got em! Nail 'em to the wall."

Tansy, though, has gone white.

I say, "Hold up, Paige. Don't put that anywhere outside your head for now. Tansy, what's up?"

She flops down on a beanbag and covers her face, shivering. "Oh god. What did I do. What did I do. You'll hate me now, and I'll completely deserve it."

Sara plops down beside her and gives her a hug. "Spit it out, hon. Better out than in."

"Okay, okay, give me a moment." Tansy's visibly pulling herself together. I grab a beanbag beside her to minimise the looming-over factor. "Okay, so. I was only the boss of the Alphas in the end because I had the keys and nobody else did. They stole the physical master keys, Loophole and Murphy, and the last things I had left were the lock biometrics in the database. Those were only in the Schuster hall mainframe. So they went in to take them. That's the two in black. And. And... Aargh. I sicced Hamper and Damper on them. Damn it. That clip. They were working for *me*. I did that. Kill me now, please. Because I told them to do as much and worse to those girls. I was trying not to look at it. But I can't... I can't hold it back. Oh god."

"Fuck", says Paige.

I wrap my arm around Tansy too, and Sara and I both hug her while she rocks and cries.

Sara says, "Jules, can you tell combat movement class I've had an emergency and I can't make it?"

I nod. Me who was with the Kimbas at lunch was planning to go there, and I'll go alone this time. "On it."

Sara says, "Tansy, look at me." And when she does. "You saw the end of that clip. What you intended those two to do, didn't happen. They tried, but they failed. Now you've got two choices. Either you let me in your head and I spackle over that memory for now, because you can't handle it. Or you keep it and decide you're going to grit your teeth and deal with it like a grown girl. You did an awful thing. It's probably not the only one." Tansy nods shuddering agreement to that. Sara continues, "Not all of them are stuff you're going to be able to apologise properly for, because you'd just end up in jail if you tried. The only thing you can do about them is choose to be different, from now on, with all your heart. And realise that you owe those people awfully big favours."

Tansy nods, "I'm... give me a minute, okay?" She closes her eyes and just takes deep breaths. Then, "Alright. I'm going to keep the memory. It's going to be my reminder, next time I let panic and selfish greed rule me, of how terribly fucking dangerous that is. And I owe Elaine and Joanne my life, if they need it. And I swear I'll find a way, somehow, to apologise to them." She looks up at Paige. "Remind me to never cross you people. Half a day and you've got the Don, Hamper, Damper, and me pretty much lined up for life in jail."

"Only took that long because we had lessons", Paige says, ruefully. "Damn it. You left their group so recently I can't be sure you aren't in the gunsights for anything I can dig up. We can't use any of it."

I say, "The DVDs, maybe, if we can locate them. The Don did that all on his own."

"You going to go talk to Cody?", Paige asks.

"Seems like the logical next move", I agree. "I may be able to cut a deal with him. He seems the sort."

Me with the Kimbas has been talking to them about the Poe reveal. None of us knew the upperclassmen had been making sneaky plans like that. We'd all been too busy to worry overmuch about the absence of whole-cottage planning meetings. In the end, though, the consensus is that it worked. They picked the big kids to be the figureheads, and yeah it implicates the rest of us, but we get to at least tell people that the details are none of their business.

Now it's lesson time, and I have a split, one of me to Doc Bellows, the other to combat movement. I really hope nobody tries stuff on in the changing rooms this time, because I am so not in the mood. Maybe the Doc can help with that.

Down in the Poe lobby, upperclassmen are offering to act as escorts for kids who are having worry-fits about walking alone. It seems to be helping. Shrike comes over as I make my way through. "Hey Parallel. Nice radio show. I'll be your escort for this evening." She does a fancy bow, which makes me grin.

"It's kind of you to offer, but I'm not too worried about the idiots, you can escort someone who needs it more", I say.

"Nah, see, I didn't think you'd exactly be worried about any of the apes on this campus, after knocking over a whole damn military base just yesterday. This is more so you don't end up slicing 'em into two equal halves. Think of me as your aggro buddy."

"Okay, that may actually be a point", I admit. "I mean, it would be satisfying, but not worth the jail term."

"Just the sentiment I was hoping to hear. Shall we go?"

I nod. "I'm headed to Laird. I'll drop a copy at Doyle, but that's barely a diversion."

"Must be nice, to be able to copy yourself."

"Has its upsides and downsides. But yeah, mostly upsides."

Over in Sara's room, Tansy's shivering again, and she says, "I'm just thinking. I... did it with them, you know? Hamper and Damper. Let them use me, so I could get in their heads and point them like weapons. Not that it bothered them, they're happy little vicious assholes. But my authority was already gone, they wouldn't have taken orders. I don't think I'll ever feel clean again."

Sara and I look at each other, and Sara says, "Jet, dear, could you run a bath, with bubbles?", and then to Tansy. "Sometimes the best thing to do with bad memories is scribble over them with good ones. We've got until next period, hmm?" Tansy nods, mute. "That's long enough to make some nice memories."

Tansy says, looking down, "I was in the bath, with them."

Sara nods. "Then that's all the more reason to overwrite it. Up you get. Let us do everything. You just float along, okay?"

Tansy nods, and between us we guide her into the en suite, and methodically strip her down. Tentacles help there. She touches one of mine, wondering, and I gently curl it around her hand. "They're pretty", she says.

I smile, "thank you. I made them because I thought Sara's were pretty. Seems a rare sentiment."

She looks at Sara's tentacle, that's presently pulling her skirt down. Reaches out, and Sara makes it curl around her hand too. "They feel different. Sara, yours are heavier, they feel like polished latex. Jules, yours are light, they feel like, I dunno what. Like my finger just stops, and there's a surface, but it's still somehow air."

"Aerogel, I think, that's what they're like", I say. "It's because they are mostly air, just trapped in sorcery." I lift off her bra, and Sara takes down her panties. Then I sweep tentacles around her and lift her up, into a seated position, and down into the bath. "They're pretty useful."

Slipping under the mounded bubbles, Tansy says, quietly, "I shouldn't be the only one naked. You said you're intersex, Jules?"

I grin. "Both kinds of bits, both fully operational, although the balls are hidden away inside." I let Sara have the fun of taking my clothes off, while I work on hers.

Paige grins, and starts to skin down too. "Both parts here too. Although I give people shocks, sorry. Jules spent a whole morning learning to insulate her nerves. Oh, and I'm fertile, which she can turn off."

"Very nice parts", Jet says, shifting away her clothes. "They call Paige mister big. Happily, I'm an electrical insulator."

"Sara has us all beat for size, with her tentacles", I tease.

Tansy lies back in the bubbles and giggles. "Damn. They said this place was a constant orgy, they weren't kidding. Also", she looks at me, "I think I may like some boy parts. Girl parts. Whatever one of those is, I approve of it."

I step into the bath too. "Roll over, up against the side, and I'll show you what it feels like from the inside. If you want?"

"I do want. Please." Sara's tentacles on her nipples make her gasp, as I kneel down and aim and slip inside lovely warmth. Jet catches my eye with a bent-over grin, as Paige slips inside her.

Fun for all the family, heh.


	97. Part 97

# # Part ninety seven

****16th January, 2007, Doyle, fourth period****

Heading in to Doyle's mental health annex, it's unexpectedly busy. Several kids I recognise from Poe, and a few others.

"Jules, come in, pardon the commotion", Doc Bellows beckons me in. "We were warned about the Poe reveal, thank goodness, so we had time to lay on extra staff, but it's still a bit chaotic."

"Do you need me to drop my appointment and make room?", I ask. "I did have one yesterday."

"You had one yesterday because you needed it." He closes the door after me and begins the ritual of pouring coffee. "Did you know, every patient of mine at some point says something along the lines of, you shouldn't be sparing time for me, there's other people who have it worse?" He shakes his head. "Somewhere out there in the world is the person who has it worst of all. You are not that person. But you still have trauma as recent as yesterday evening. We have enough staff, we are not having to triage our patients. So no, I don't need you to drop today's appointment."

He holds out the cup of coffee, and I take it with a smile. "Thanks." For more than just the coffee.

"So", he says, taking a seat, "Shall we begin with yesterday's business? What stands out to you as emotionally important?"

I think back to the raid and it's aftermath. "Well, at the time, catching the big bullet was more intense. But in retrospect I keep finding myself thinking more about invading the base. Not so much what I did, that was almost peaceful if you don't count the ack-ack guns shooting at me. What I could have done. I'm pretty sure I could have invaded that base single handed. And not lost, although it would have been an enormous mess."

"So, a mix of feeling frightened at your own potential, and horrified by what you're imagining?"

I nod. "It doesn't seem rational. I'm not about to slaughter a base of soldiers, or anybody else for that matter. But my imagination goes dark places. Still, I'm grateful to the Head for keeping me out of the worst of it."

"And she's remorseful for having to drag you into it as much as she did. Tell me, how did it feel, getting shot at?"

I think back. "Horrifying, and terrifying. Even though I could stop the bullets, and did, there were people, or machines programmed by people, trying to kill me, rip me apart with pieces of high speed metal, and nobody on their side would rush to save me while I... well, while bad things happened." I pause thinking. "But also exhilarating, we were carrying out a plan, and it was going well."

"These are the kinds of thoughts and emotions normally faced by soldiers on a battlefield." He leans forward in his chair. "Not, normally, by school children. Not even at Whateley. What your imagination is doing is responding to that memory of fear, turning it around, making you into the one going around trying to kill people. To that frightened part of your mind, that's a power fantasy, something to cling to. While to another, more empathetic part, it's a horror show starring yourself as the monster. This is also a common response among soldiers."

"Let me guess, the ones whose empathy never worked too well in the first place, they become the monster?"

"Sometimes", he nods. "Yours, I note, is in good working order. The downside is, that you end up re-traumatising yourself after the fact."

"So what do we do about it?"

"Well, to begin with, we get you off the battlefield."

Oh dear. "Um. When we've had our conversations, up until now there's always been something closer to home to talk about. So it's not like I've been intentionally hiding it, but there's a problem with that."

He nods, and looks thoughtful. "Intentionally hiding, no, but you are reluctant to talk about it?"

"It'll seem far fetched. And like I'm bragging, but I'm really, really not."

He chuckles. "Don't worry, I'm used to you. I've already got that out of my system. Far fetched, so, it's a GOO thing?"

"It's a GOO war. One Sara was holding down almost solo before I showed up to help. One I can't really opt out of. Who and what I am makes me a very strategic target."

"Ah. I see."

With the copy dropped off at Doyle, Shrike and I continue our walk towards Laird. And judging by the knot of kids mobbing the door to Laird and handing out flyers, it looks like whoever assigned her to tag along had the right idea.

"Committee to restore normality to Whateley! We don't believe we should have hundreds of deviants and freaks in our midst suddenly imposed upon us! Add your name to our petition! Take a flyer!"

Well, can't fault them for sloth, at least. I can see my two nemeses are leading the group, Sweetheart and Bombshell, so called. Evidently 'bitchy' and 'basher' were taken. Sweetheart catches sight of me. "Oh hey, it's the worst freak of all. Turns out you ain't even human, miss girl-boy-thing, and you've been fucking with all our heads. We don't want your goddamn 'influence' in our school! You can turn around and leave!"

Shrike moves protectively in front of me. "Ain't this kind of an unusual place to start an H-one chapter, kiddies?"

"We're not against mutants, just *things* like you, fake girl. Poe should be closed down and all of you expelled."

"But you'll find all your new friends want you dead too, because there's no such thing as a single issue bigot. Now why don't you step out of the way, before I stop protecting you."

"You're protecting us, from what? Miss thing there?"

"You dumb fucks asked yourself where the Necromancer is since last weekend? Or Lycanthros and Nightgaunt?"

"That's just stories." She sounds a little unsure, but defiant.

An unexpected voice joins in, Mr Anderson, our class teacher. "The stories are true. Get inside before I fail you, which I absolutely will do if you demonstrate any further desire to taunt someone who is completely out of your league. In! Now!"

I smile bye to Shrike and head in with the rest of them, pausing to pass Sara's message to Mr Anderson as I walk past him; he nods. We're in the classroom, at least to begin with, so further direct confrontation is avoided. Instead I get death glares from a few folks, and sympathetic looks from others.

Mr Anderson takes a seat, waits for the last of us to straggle in and close the door, and then says, "I had plans for today. Those plans have changed, due to what I just saw. Today we will be examining the unequal fight. By which I mean a circumstance where in actual direct confrontation, you would just lose. You are outnumbered, outgunned, out-powered, or, sometimes, all of the above. We will look at tactics such as escape, avoidance, keeping your head down, and tactical surrender. And we will look at how to identify and avoid the problem before it becomes a confrontation. Including how to control your temper."

The death glares intensify.

In Sara's en-suite, I lift a very relaxed looking Tansy out of the bathwater, and Sara wraps her in a towel. "Whee, if you could bottle that, it would sell. Maybe you should open a spa?" She giggles. "Whatever it was I was thinking about, the thoughts just fell out of my head. Oh yeah, I was thinking about me being awful to Elaine and Joanne. Bad me. Need to figure how to be nice to them." She catches a lock of her hair that has fallen in front of her face. "When did this go back to yellow? I liked the green."

"While ago", I say. "It was yellow when we went studying."

"Pooh. Have to see if I can get them to change it back. Green for new shoots and new beginnings."

"I could change it if you want", I offer. "We should wait until you're thinking a bit more straight though."

She nods. "Fair 'nuff, but I don't think I'll change my mind. Could you make it grow in green from the roots?"

Good question, could I? "I suppose I could, it's just altering the cells."

"Just altering them, she says", she giggles. "You're fun to know. In all senses of the word. Old me was a silly bitch to miss out on that much fun."

I remember back to a certain negotiation. "Didn't entirely miss out."

She snickers. "Fair point, I completely threw my orgasm at you, and you drank it down. Mm, good memories. And Cody's dick isn't bad, even if I was giving him stick about it. But I like yours better, it touches all the lovely places. Also I think I've become a fan of tentacles."

"Come on, let's get you dressed for class." I grin. "Lots more opportunities for fun with those later."

Doc Bellows has taken my description of the situation I'm caught in with impressive calm, I think. He picks up his by now tepid coffee, takes a sip somewhat by rote, winces and puts it back down. "I see. I hope you don't mind that I will check with the Head about this, since you say she'll confirm it?"

"No, makes sense not to just take me at my word. It's a lot to swallow. But you can see, at least, how I'm not expecting a true respite from this until it's over? Upside though, it feels like there's a crescendo building. So things may soon be resolved, for better or worse."

"Why do you think that is?"

"Just how long I've been here. It takes time to adjust or hatch nefarious plans, and re-work them on the fly to accommodate the changes I keep making to my capabilities. And to the pieces on the board. Whatever plans they had for Darrow, those need redrafting, you know?"

"You're trying to keep them off balance?"

"Well, that and grind levels in a hurry. Because I genuinely am expecting the boss monster to show up."

Combat movement class has been way more theoretical than last time, I think he's doing that to punish the idiots, but he did get me to demonstrate my lightsabers out in front, and walk the class through Sunday's fight. I feel he's giving me way too much credit for taking down supposed A-list villains. It's not as if they got a chance to use their powers. But maybe that's a thing in itself. And it reduced the visible snark from the junior league Klan, which I'm grateful for. Sara arrived at the start of fifth period, and was allowed to take her seat with no hassle. Always a nice thing to have a teacher who takes students' problems seriously. That said, I do worry about this class. It's useful, but I don't want to spend every other weekday being tested on my forbearance by idiots. Although, maybe as a sort of meditative practise in bullshit tolerance?

Three hours of kinda dry theory takes me through to the end of sixth period, and yay, my time is my own, mostly. I still have to do maintenance, but that's kind of relaxing.

Well, except maybe I rejoiced too soon, because someone's waiting for me outside Laird as class breaks up. Becca, with a serene smile. "Good evening. Follow me, please." Well, this promises to be interesting.


	98. Part 98

# # Part ninety eight

As other me heads towards Poe, a clean pair of sweats, and a very dirty job, I walk with Becca Stone towards her office on campus. "Have you heard of the Monkey King?", she asks.

"Yeah, he or sometimes she was involved in that panty raid business", I grin. "Sounds fun. Also helping train Chou, I think?"

"Mhm, correct. She's come to visit and evidently is curious about you. I thought it was a good opportunity to combine meeting her with a get to know you session."

There's a feeling I get off Becca, that she's being cautious, that her level of relaxation goes down around me. It's subtle, but it's there. And having my first get to know you session with perhaps the greatest warrior on Earth present... well, it fits the pattern. While also being innocuous and probably entirely true.

Probably better brought out in the open, than hanging over us. "I feel that you, perhaps the whole group of immortals, are unsure whether to trust me?"

She looks at me, and chuckles. "Chou tells me stories, of course, and she did mention your tendency to be, hmm, direct. Yes, you concern us. You're chaotic, extremely powerful already, and rapidly growing. You've already altered the balance, and seem inclined to continue. And yet the Tao accepts you. The Handmaid has not moved to stop you."

I consider that. "And the one best placed to understand a whirl of chaos, is a whirl of chaos?"

She nods. "Monkey goes where she wills, but her interest is helpful." And probably easy to bait, I find myself thinking.

The office turns out to be a room in back of Laird that has the look of a teacher's private room, except it has the martial arts type wooden flooring, and is presently very bare of furnishings, other than a small shrine against the wall. Seated cross legged in the middle of the floor, with a basket of peaches and munching one, is a strawberry blonde who looks around my age or a little younger, in a Whateley uniform with her tail poking out behind, grinning. She jumps up, and leaning on a staff that was a chopstick a moment ago, looks at me. "So, you're the famous Jules."

"Famous huh", I grin myself. "Looks like the pot is calling the kettle black, Sun Wu Kong."

"Ha! Well, maybe a little. And call me Sun"

Becca says, "I'll make tea", sounding amused, and steps into a side room, leaving the two of us alone.

"That's your surname, isn't it?"

"It's shorter, and when you're immortal you learn the value of wasted time. Also, it's a pun that means monkey, and monkey is who I am. Besides, you only kept your first name. So we make a pair. Here, take a seat, have a peach."

I smile and sit. "Your generosity shames me, as I didn't bring any presents. And I only kept my chosen name. I don't have any of my birth names, here." I look at the peaches, and choose one that calls to me.

"Wise to keep some secrets", she says. And leans forward, whispering, "You know, I think Becca doesn't trust you."

Of course a whisper like that is going to carry to the ears of a near-immortal in the next room, but I whisper back for the sake of the game, "We already talked about it, she thinks I'm a bit chaotic." And lean back so I can take a bite of peach.

Mmm, it's delicious. Also registering as an extremely powerful spell after I took a bite and swallowed it. Not sure how that could have been hidden from me until now, but I decide not to block or fight the spell, but instead trust Monkey and watch its effects settling through me. The channels I widened just last night are rushing full of golden energy, like a flash flood that keeps growing, and the part of me that's monitoring them has to adjust them wider and wider again to hold it. Everything in the room is lit up and flowing with the same power. The peaches glow like little suns. Monkey herself is a like a banked fire, and Becca as she comes in is smouldering red. She winces, and sets the tea tray down on the ground without splattering, and comes over. "Sun Wu Kong, you did not!"

"I did", she grins. "And observe the effects, aren't they interesting! She just assimilated the force, as casually as you please."

"Thank you", I manage to say despite feeling really floaty. "It's delicious." I don't mention that a bit of warning might be nice. She didn't want to warn me or she would have. "I could do with advice on how to pack this power away, because right now I feel like I'm lit up like a lightbulb."

"Polite, too." Sun Wu Kong smiles, and gestures to her belly. "Spin it in your lower dan tien. Rising in front, falling behind. And compress it down."

Okay, I can do that. It's chi, so it should follow intention. I intend it spinning, and it does. Good. And then I flow it together, and after a moment it feels like it condenses out into a tiny droplet of liquid that feels as if it's giving off a golden glow, and the room fades back to normal sight. Becca looks relieved, and Monkey looks proud.

Sun says, "See, in seconds, she learns it. Well done, Jules, you've taken the first step on the path to being our kind of immortal. I'm aware you were already your own kind."

I shake my head. "As a great old one, I'm hard to damage, but I'd by no means call myself immortal. And having power in this way", I pat my dan tien where the power is glowing, "doesn't mean I know how to use it."

"Well, I did say the *first* step", she grins.

A thought occurs. "Oh! Reminds me. I could do with your advice, probably both of you. I have another body that's pregnant. Is it safe to copy this across? The wide channels, I mean, and running this kind of power."

They look at each other. "Yes and no is the answer", Monkey says, and Becca nods, "A child growing in the presence of that much power will not be born as an ordinary human."

"She was never going to be anyway", I point out. "She's my child with myself. Double GOO bloodline."

That doesn't seem to faze either of them. Becca says "Then probably unharmed, but she may become a sage while pre-born."

Other me, over in Gothmog's place, consults with Junior's growing self awareness. And gets back unconditional trust.

Alright. I'll go for it. Changes, including the new wider-still channels, copied to all bodies, including pregnant me. And I find I can flow the power around to them all, too. I take a look at the peach, should I? And grin. "Here goes nothing", and take a second bite. Flash! Channels fill, it's distributed around to the totality of me and all of me compress it down.

It only takes a few more bites to finish the peach. It was indeed delicious. And all of me have a power pool glowing in our dan tiens, now. Junior is bathing in hers like it's warm sunlight. I find I can link our power pools into a sort of shared flowing higher dimensional ring. That should be stable no matter how many bodies I add or remove.

Becca looks slightly reproachfully at Sun Wu Kong, but sighs and goes to pick up the abandoned tea tray. "Well, I brought you a monster and you've made her ten times a monster, meantime, some tea?"

"Thank you", says Monkey, unabashed.

I accept some tea, too. It's good. I can sort of see structure to it, at that level where my awareness was just earlier. Is that developing into another sense? But it's hard to interpret yet. "She's made me into a student", I counter. "I'm suddenly plugged into a current I don't know how to use or control, and I'm not stupid enough to just try and tap off that power by sticking a fork in the socket. I pretty much have to come and study it, now."

Becca considers that. "Okay, I can see that angle. And you're right not to just try tapping the power. I don't think you could burn out your channels given how casually I just saw you widen them, but you could do serious accidental damage to other people and your surroundings."

"I'll be careful", I promise. "Uh, will it go off accidentally when I'm training with Dyffud?"

"I'll speak with him, but it shouldn't", Becca smiles. "Still, I won't give any guarantees. Move your chi carefully, don't take risks or throw it around."

"I can live with that", I agree.

"So. We were talking about how you don't trust her" - Monkey, picking up the conversation that started before the peach, like nothing had happened.

Becca sighs and sips her tea. "It'd be more accurate to say I'm confused. If you'd asked me a month ago, what would happen if some human decided to to transform into a new great old one, and began accumulating powers rapidly, I'd say that Chou would be sent to kill them immediately. If you asked me, what if they decided to change the rules of life itself, I'd say the Tao would never accept it. It would be an enormous thumb on the balance."

"Chou suggested I was taking a thumb *off* the balance", I say. "Makes sense to me, there's another one of us out there pushing for bigotry and dissolution. I didn't just change things on a whim, I saw a lack that needed repair."

"And now today, there's been noise among the staff about how you influenced a student. They're all arguing the difference between you interfering with her mind, her volunteering for it, and you having made a clear improvement in her personality. And on the other hand, those who think you're a monster who lobotomised her. But what I see in that, is someone with a lot of power and very little restraint, who goes around changing things as she wills. And yet, somehow, it seems, gets it right?"

I look over at Monkey. "Do you get this too?"

Which makes her break out in giggling, and nod, "They literally set the Buddha on me."

"You're different", Becca insists.

"You're used to me", Sun Wu Kong counters, grabbing another peach. "Neither Jules nor I is truly chaotic, but we act when we see the need for action, and we don't bother to get a dozen permissions for it when that would spoil the simplicity."

"Or when they might say 'no' and I'd have to do it anyway", I agree. "Changing Tansy got her out of a stuck rut she was begging to be freed from. There's no way I could know I had the ability, and be stopped by someone's excess of caution while she suffered. Even if I could probably have talked them around."

That gets an understanding nod from the monkey, and a sigh from Becca.

"Alright. Well, I'll be teaching you chi gung to help control what a certain monkey decided to give you. And we'll see if some calm and a centered mind make you more, or less of a whirlwind of chaos."

I grin. "Sounds fun. Lead on."


	99. Part 99

# # Part ninety nine

Maintenance was pretty uneventful, we were fitting more pipes, except that Morrie warned Jade and me that they had decided to bring the cave forward to Saturday. So that's going to be interesting. I'll need to talk to Sara and see if she has advice. Jade didn't look happy about having to go back down there, but I'm going to see if I can't sort out that particular localised mess in a way that's more permanent than periodic firebombing. Call it practise.

Crystal Hall has a noisy energy to it tonight. It's not quite the Sharks and the Jets, but there's a tension between Poesies and the less accepting types. People moving around in groups, clinging to bricks, you know. From the grim looks over at the capes' table, I think that group may tear itself apart shortly. For better or worse, the secret's out now, and everything is readjusting around it.

On the way to food, I get an attempted jostle from some genius who thinks the MacGyver hairstyle combines well with a biker jacket he found in a dustbin. Of course I bend said jostle so that he ends up stumbling. "Watch it, Poesy", he attempts to growl. He is not as scary as military ack-ack guns. His buddy grabs his shoulder and points to my armband, which makes the mulleted one go "So what?" A brief conversation ensues, which I ignore, picking out edibles. Then his buddy comes over, "He's sorry and he didn't mean anything by it. I've heard rumours about you, I'm not gonna let him start anything."

"Nice to know", I say. "I'm pretty sure he's not really sorry, but it's good he has friends with more sense. Thanks for defusing that."

"Uh yeah, no problem." The guy looks confused, but that isn't my business. This time I do my split post-picking-foods, out of curiosity, and find I copied the trays too. Nice to know I can, although the downside is a lack of variety.

Heading to my two tables, I touch in on the Poe table and find they're talking about the new group, the so called committee to restore normality. Toni on the pound 'em side, Ayla arguing for restraint and leaving it to the authorities. Toni turns to me and says "So what do you think... Jules..." and just kind of winds down and gapes like I've grown a second head. Which makes the others look at me. Then she kind of reboots, blinks, and says, "Mind explaining how in the hell you suddenly have enough condensed chi in your dan tien to throw the entire school into orbit?"

Uh, truth, I guess, "Monkey gave me a peach."

Chou winces. "Oh she did not. That idiot. You could have died!"

"If she offers, say no", I agree. "I had to widen my channels again."

"Wait, a peach?" Ayla hasn't been keeping up.

Chou explains, "One of the peaches of immortality. They're said to give you three thousand years of longevity just by eating one. Which it looks like they do by ramming enough chi into your channels that anyone else at this table, myself included, would catch fire on the spot. You'd need decades of cultivation just to be able to hold the strain. And then absorbing and condensing it would be another battle."

"Out of curiosity, how long did that take you?" Toni looks like she's tasting something bitter.

"Um well, I asked monkey what to do with it, and she said spin it in my dan tien and then pull it inward, and I did, and it condensed. Which is good as I'm no longer seeing the room in weird-ass glows, even if there is a kind of flowing layer to it now that there wasn't before. Um, just shy of a minute from starting."

Toni just shakes her head. "How wide even are your channels now?"

"I don't know how to measure. More than they were."

"Rhetorical question. I'd bet they're echoing caverns compared to anything humans have. Shit, you are seriously going to have to learn to use that chi properly, or one lazy hadouken could blow Crystal Hall clear over to Boston. Please, please do not try to use it without knowing how."

"Yeah, I already figured that one", I agree.

Over at the Pack table, I sit and lean over onto Sara's shoulder, and she ruffles my hair, looking amused at the reactions Toni and Chou are giving me over there. "Ate something big, mm?"

"A whole peach."

"A whole one? My my, greedy." The gentle tease in her voice brings out my love and I nuzzle against her. Then my attention goes wider and I see Tansy looking thoughtful.

I say, "Hey Tansy, how'd it all go?"

"You were right about the classes", she says. "Once I realised I'd been learning despite myself, I stopped panicking and things went alright, although I still think I'll have to study. And I explained myself to the teachers I'd already panicked around. They will be giving me extra work, but I'm no longer kicked out of class. But I was mostly thinking about afterward, while you were off with Jade." She sighs. "I had a chat with Ayla. I... told him how I'd transferred the bullying that his sisters did to me, onto him. I apologised. He didn't tell me to go to hell. I'm not sure if I feel lighter or heavier. And there's so much more of that ahead of me."

I nod understanding. "For better or worse, it's finite. Look at it like that. Each bit chips away at the heap."

"Remind me to tell you the story of the bird wearing down the mountain some time", Tansy says sounding tired but amused. "Damn, I really should do Joanne and Elaine next and I have *no* idea how to even approach that. Oh yeah hi, sorry, I committed a crime against you that could put me in jail or get me expelled, be nice and don't kill me? If I get out of this whole thing without a rap sheet it will be a miracle."

Paige says, "Maybe some stuff, you're going to have to hold back the apology. Or be non specific."

Tansy sighs. "I can't see them accepting non-specific apologies, but I can't see them accepting specific ones either. It may have to just keep hanging over me. Ugh, I don't like that thought."

I pull her into a hug. "Non-urgent problems, anyhow. It's safe to park that one. Right now, I think number one on the list is probably this business with influencing you getting escalated."

"I can't think of what else to do, though", she agrees. "We already told Carstaires that I consented."

"I can think of something not to do", I say. "I've been thinking about how the first thing we, mostly I, rushed to do was aim everyone to attack the Don and his scurvy crew. And how that was a bad idea."

"They're rapists, slavers and scum", Paige says. "We know it, even if we can't use it, and I'd have no regrets burning the lot of them. But I see your point strategically. Attack us for a rules violation, get hit like you pissed off the mob, is maybe not a great look."

I can't help but wince at the description. "Yeah. So they're on our shit list, but mostly for *being* shits. We should honestly take them off it for reporting us. Even if it was a transparent backstab against Tansy for leaving their little gang. It was also kinda the right thing to do, and punishing assholes when they do ethical things is a poor look."

Tansy laughs. "Seriously. Okay, that's a fair point. I'm just... not used to this level of rethinking. Old me would have lashed out without a thought. That which attacks you, take it out with a full broadside. I genuinely do understand that feeling, to the extent I wasn't the least surprised you went there, but perhaps I should have been?"

"I have problems with being impulsively defensive", I admit. "I have been known to smash first and say 'oops' later. If you catch me doing that, do please nudge me."

Sara smirks and says, "Noted dear, and I will." Which gets nods from the others too.

Over at the Kimba table, Chou says, "So, there's something I wanted to raise with all of you. And it's only because of the links that I even can do this, because I've got nothing but a raw feeling to go on, but now I can actually send you the feeling rather than waving my hands trying to describe it. There's this icky, slimy magical thing I've been sensing and I'm just wondering if anyone else senses it? I should warn you, this isn't nice. But have any of the rest of you felt it?"

The feeling that follows is slimy, but also a recognisable part of my 'normal'. I'm seeing shaken heads around the table. Even Nikki. So I speak up. "Is that not normal, then? I thought the campus always had that?"

Chou facepalms, "Oh of course, you got here after Christmas, didn't you? It wasn't here when we left, but it was when we came back. I gradually came to notice it after I got back, but it's always been there for you."

"Always since I started learning sorcery. I thought it was just a feature of the place. Damn, but it's us-flavored, isn't it? Mythos magic."

"No wonder I can't detect it, then", Nikki agrees. "Mythos magic is stealthy as hell. Which probably means Hekate."

"We need to alert Circe right away", I say.

Which gets a frown from Chou, but then a sigh. "Can you localise it?"

I shake my head. "I think it's hiding its direction."

"Molly has a friend who might be able to help", Chou says.

"Then we tell Circe about her too", I say nodding. "This feels like it would be a bad thing to just wander up to and poke with a stick."

Nikki nods, "Hekate's merciless. She might have built in any number of awful traps."

"And it could be evidence", I nod. "Any objections to contacting her immediately? She's on links."

Shaken heads around the table. "Group us up and let's do it", Chou agrees.

So we do. Circe is at first mildly grumpy to be interrupted in her down-time, but then intrigued and worried as soon as we point out the problem. "Of course. We will immediately investigate it."

"I suggest when we go looking, Chou's seeker, but also myself and Sara should be on the team, and Chou for her handmaid of the Tao powers."

"Bring mythos to fight mythos, hmm? And also a demon slayer. Yes, I can see that, although honestly I don't intend to put any of you in the line of fire. But having you along in case it becomes necessary is good thinking. Alright, I suspect we'll act on that immediately tomorrow morning. I may have to pull a few of you out of your classes."

"I'll loop Sara in on the idea in a moment", I agree. "I'm obviously okay with doubling up."

"I can skip team tactics if it's important", Chou agrees.

"Alright. Expect an email later this evening with the morning's plan. And thank you for bringing it to me."

"Not a problem", I say, although I see Chou is frowning, but she doesn't say anything.


	100. Part 100

# # Part one hundred

Is it strange to get email while dreaming? Because now that I have an internal internet connection, being actually asleep doesn't stop me from using a background thread to poll my account. My academic adviser wants to see me tomorrow about new classes they want to add me to, the psychic ethics one, and a first aid course they're going to run, as well as a possible entry in an Exemplar Grace class. One from the Head, she wants to see me and Tansy before breakfast. Then one from Circe laying out her plans for the expedition. All of which is cool but will wait until tomorrow.

I actually do have plans for stuff to get done, tonight, while I'm dreaming. I want to construct that mental reprieve / base of operations inner world I've been putting off. Bellows was right that's a good idea to have. And I need to play with options to find what feels right to me.

Luckily I can do many of those concurrently, so I try a few. The one I settle on is a wilderness Earth-like world. Actually, not exactly wilderness, more like the way the world was when indigenous people did continent-scale horticulture. Lots of edible stuff. No actual people, because creating dream-people seems disrespectful. But if some want to move in, I won't complain.

Hmm. I want to talk to Donna, partly just to catch up and because she's lovely, but I want to check if they have any more info on the global effects. And if Tansy is okay with it, introduce her to ARC. Being fully influenced makes her a useful reference point. She probably could pick up a load of cash from it too, not that she needs it. But maybe the networking will be of interest?

****17th January, 2007, Poe, morning****

I'm up a bit early because I had an idea while I was asleep that I wanted to try for real. I've been switching outfits by deleting the old one and putting the new one on with tentacles, which is nice and fast, but not really fast enough to do publicly, there's an unavoidable amount of flashing. Not that I mind being looked at, but it's obtrusive. But what if I could just create the clothes? After all, it's what I do when I copy myself. Then I wouldn't even need to break step.

Turns out to be a little more complicated than it sounds. Making the clothes is easy, but the nuisance turns out to be, oddly enough, shoes. None of them are at exactly the same height, and I don't want to shave bits off my heel when I go from low to high. It's alright if I'm running, there's a point in that gait where both feet are airborne and I can make the shift. But walking keeps at least one foot in contact with the ground. In the end, I figure a way to do it that works, but is a little less smooth than I had planned - just bounce. A little upward bounce on my toes interrupts the gait of walking slightly but does the job.

Erin's peering down at me from her high bunk. "Figuring how to get dressed in a hurry?", she asks sleepily.

"Figuring how to duck out of needing changing rooms", I admit. "Sometimes they get unfriendly."

"Trouble with that is you'll end up in your uniform after, but all sweaty-sticky."

Oops. "Good point. Rats. How... oh of course." I just need to delete the old body and make a fresh one in the desired outfit, while keeping the position and momentum for continuing my stride. Once I have the idea, doing it is pretty simple.

"Rats where?... oho, you made a new self, your smell changes, did you know that? You smell fresh out of the box, not of bedsheets."

"Huh, I hadn't thought of that, that might be a vulnerability, thanks." I grin. "Technically I'm sparkling clean but I think I'll take a shower anyway, water is nice."

"And the company is... visually enjoyable", she agrees. "Hey, I'm with Sara, doesn't mean I'm dead."

I snicker in agreement. Then quick-change into my gown. "Might miss the show today, gotta go early, Head wants to see me about the Tansy thing."

"Good luck", she says, before settling back to get a bit more rest.

As I predicted, the showers are empty, so I just vanish the gown and dive in, enjoying the warm water to help me feel fully awake. And well, playing with my bits a little for enjoyment's sake, too.

"Hey Jules, you awake?" An unexpected Tansy over the link. I send her some sensations as a way to say yes teasingly, which makes her laugh and call me an ass. "Very awake, I see. I wanted to talk about the thing with the Head."

"Sure, go ahead."

"Well, this isn't about what we're going to say about you influencing me, I think we covered that. It's about the Hamper and Damper thing."

"I thought we couldn't use that?"

"I may have overreacted at the time, I was manic as hell. I know I did something bad, but the way Joanne has been hate-pranking me... I just want to hear the clip in full."

"I need to get the file from Paige."

Poking Paige gently over the link gets a sleepy "Mm, yes, what is it?" and I explain the situation. "Sure, I kept a copy just in case", and she starts streaming it over.

A few minutes later, we're all three appalled.

Tansy speaks first. "I... I knew they were rapists, or rather, I'd heard, they bragged, but... they would have done it right there. And they genuinely thought they killed Elaine. Damn. I just told them to rough them up, make sure security caught them stealing the codes. No wonder Joanne hates me. We... have to tell the Head. Even if it goes bad for me."

I send her the feeling of a hug. "I'll be there for you no matter what."

"Gonna be a bit of trouble for me for hacking security, but I'll take it", Paige agrees.

"What about the other clip?" Tansy says. "If we're doing one, I want us to do both."

Paige says, "You realise that one implicates you pretty badly. In knowing after the fact, if not in being involved."

"I do... I just feel she'll find out later. And ask me if I knew... if I can make a clean breast of it as soon as possible, it's more likely she'll be merciful."

I can't argue with that, but I send her a big hug.

No more time to dally in the shower. Teleport dry, quick-change to a fresh uniform and I'm ready to go. I leave a copy to do Tai Chi, and head off towards Schuster.

The Head's office is open, and she's standing by the door. Not doing the full doom and terror rigmarole, then? "Jules, Miss Walcutt, come in."

We do, and she closes the door. "Take a seat please. I've read Dr Carstaires' report. Do you both assert the matter was consensual?"

I nod, "Yes ma'am." Tansy does the same.

"And would you be willing to be scanned as to the truth of that by professor Louis Geintz?"

I remember that's Fubar's real name. "Yes ma'am." A wince and then Tansy follows suit.

"Well?"

And a familiar boy is just suddenly there. "They're telling the truth. And the reason they look more worried than they should, is because they have something else to tell you."

"Does it relate directly to this matter?"

"Not directly."

"Setting that aside for now, then. Jules, Dr Carstaires has insisted on a full hearing, which will happen tomorrow. I'm not sure why, perhaps he feels you need a lesson in seriousness, but I think this evidence will exonerate you at that hearing. However, please obtain clearance from me personally before doing it again for anyone else. Yes, I know it's only an acceleration of a process that is happening to all of us, but it is a big change with serious impacts. And the same goes for anything else of comparable magnitude. I don't want you cutting the school out of the loop again, just because nobody thought to make a rule that covers it, am I understood?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll do that."

"Good. And you Tansy, I am honestly very gratified by the changes I've seen. But I have to ask, why did it have so much impact?"

"I was lying to myself, ma'am, lying to everyone else, living inside a fake life that wasn't mine. It was chafing, I'd been thrown out of the Alphas but I didn't know how to break loose from the pattern. I knew I was going to end up in the Don's faction scrabbling to get back something I never really had, let alone enjoyed. Something cracked, Jules saw it and offered a way out, and now, well, it just feels so much better being true to myself that I said, let the chips fall where they may. And I kind of saw myself clearly, that I had been a horrendous bitch, pardon me ma'am"

"Pardoned, I'd agree with that characterisation."

"And I decided to stop. That's about it, really. When I started feeling like I was my honest self, then I started caring about my work, of which you've probably heard."

"I have, from several bemused but positive teachers. Your attitude has evidently gone from dismissive to studious."

"I had been pretending it was all beneath me. That was part of the queen bitch look. But I realised that underneath it I just genuinely liked to learn things."

The Head nods. "I consider that a beneficial change. Please do continue doing that. Alright, for myself, I consider this matter over. Unfortunately, I can't halt the hearing, so you will both need to be prepared to go back over it. You can have representation there if you choose."

Tansy says, "We'll look into that, ma'am." I'm guessing with her resources she can swing a big-shot lawyer.

"Alright. On to this next matter."

Hoo boy. I pick this one up. "Ma'am, when I was... annoyed that the Don's faction had sicced Dr Carstaires on Tansy, and before I got it into my head that they were doing the right thing, and one shouldn't punish them for it, well, Paige did some digging for dirt, and found something. Two things. If I can bring her in on a link group?"

She nods. So I pull up a group with me, Tansy, Paige and the Head. "Okay, Paige, you're up, what did you find?"

"First one's a security camera capture of a conversation of Tansy's alphas with the Don in the hospital." And she plays the conversation.

When it finishes, the head's tight-lipped and clearly furious. "You knew, Miss Walcutt?"

"Ma'am, it was news to me when this conversation happened. But I've known since."

"I want that DVD. Do you have it?"

"No ma'am. I can tell you where I put it, but Cody will have moved it."

"I'll have a conversation with him about the matter shortly. Miss Donner, can you pass the location of that recording to security please."

"Yes ma'am."

"And there is a second thing?"

Paige sends a nod. "An incident with Hamper and Damper", and she plays the before and after. "We were curious what happened in the middle, but they hid from the cameras. However, we found this. It's a view of a nearby window, that has a street light reflected. Long story short, Jules was able to recover audio from the window's vibration. Rewinding... over to Jules."

I put the audio onto the group. When it has finished, it's clear that the Head is barely controlling fury. "They said you had put them up to that. Did you, Miss Walcutt?"

"Ma'am, what I told them to do was rough them up and make sure they were caught stealing by security. I'll swear to that and Fubar can scan me on it. I had no idea what they actually did until this morning. Yesterday when we looked at it we paused it before then."

"Why did you pause it."

"I was overwhelmed with guilt. Jules asked Paige to stop."

"Before the detail?"

"I knew they had hurt Elaine and Joanne on my order, it was enough."

"Louis?"

"She's telling the truth. At the time, it was negligent, but not intended to go that far. An act of ill-considered anger and desperation. And she is genuinely remorseful now."

I'm guessing Foob is tapping the link content out of our heads. He doesn't need to read the connection if the endpoint is wide open.

"Very well, Miss Donner, please pass these recordings on to Security, too. And Miss Walcutt, we will be having further conversations about this matter. Jules, since you're clearly ringleader here, for what reason did you not bring these to me immediately?"

"I didn't want to implicate Tansy, ma'am. When she had a hunch and we re-reviewed the audio all the way through today before meeting you, she changed that and decided we should show you both of them."

"I see." She pauses and thinks for a moment. "Alright. Because of that decision, I now have the evidence to throw two rapists out of my school, and a lead on evidence that will let me throw out a slaver. Jules, you say you aren't doing this as an act of retribution against Sebastiano?"

"I realised the impulse to do that was irrationally defensive. It was my impulse, although it swept the others up. But reporting me for messing with Tansy's mind was actually the right thing to do, even if it was done with spite. Therefore slamming back would be the wrong thing to do."

"You suggested earlier that you regarded it as an attack on Tansy?"

"It was, the Don doesn't know me from a goldfish. He was angry at Tansy suddenly snubbing his group. And I was angry at him for interfering with her."

"Very well. I will speak to Doctor Bellows about your impulsive anger there. You have made yourself very powerful, and that means you are going to have to learn how to be slow to anger. Thankfully, this time, good has come of it. That will not always be the case. And there are many situations, I speak from experience, where "oops" is nowhere near enough. Am I understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."


	101. Part 101

# # Part one hundred and one

Mrs Carson ends up giving Paige an essay on the ethics of using her powers to dig up dirt on people she doesn't like, and another on the school rules that apply to hacking the security feeds without permission. Tansy has to go and swear out a statement at Security. Then she's going to have to apologise to Elaine and Joanne. But she was going to do that anyhow. Then probably some other punishment, after they close the trap on Hamper and Damper, but the Head hasn't decided.

As for me, well...

"I know that detention in Hawthorne is hardly a chore for you. And I know from Stan and Morrie that you can switch off your sense of disgust, so the sewers would be the same. Boredom, you switch off. Essays, you'd have done, flawless, and sitting in my inbox by the time I finished my sentence. You're making quite a lot of money from ARC but you've barely touched it. And the only thing you've used it on is clothes."

I raise a hand. "Yes?"

"Ma'am, I may need it soon again, I've had contact from my academic adviser that Lillian Dennon might want me for her class. I might need to get a dress."

She nods. "And if I were to confiscate it except for necessities like that dress?" A pause, then, "No need to answer, I can see from your face, it would barely inconvenience you. Hmm." She looks at Tansy, and seems to have an idea. "Well now, I have a thought, but I need to check with someone else first. So you may go for now, I'll contact you later. Dismissed."

Not like that's ominous or anything.

It's both a good and somewhat frustrating thing that the Head is smart enough not to fall for any Brer Rabbit, "please don't throw me in the briar patch, Brer Fox" flimflam. I'm pretty sure that most of the things I'd consider necessary reasons to touch my cash are also things she'd, reluctantly, consider necessary too. But our good relationship is honestly too important to me for that kind of sneakiness anyway. Which means I have to let her figure out some way to be beastly to me. Gah.

To be fair, I genuinely should try to rein in my temper. And not drag the others into it.

My down mood gets me hugs from Sara at breakfast. Tansy's off getting her statement recorded and the table feels a bit emptier without her. She really has become part of the family.

"Looking forward to chasing Chou's discovery?", Sara asks.

The obvious distraction is welcome. "A bit", I agree. "Hey, I'm curious, didn't you sense it since Christmas?"

"Yeah, I did", she says, "But I'm bound by my demon nature, I could go and look at it on my own, but I can't just volunteer it. And I wasn't sure I could take it out solo. So I've just left it alone until now."

"Lemme guess, that's a bit frustrating?"

"Boy is it ever."

I hug her. "Any way I can help?"

"Involve me in things. When I'm asked, or when I'm included, I can act."

"What if I could take the restrictions off you?"

She chuckles. "I've thought about that. It would mean tearing my demon nature out. Not a gentle thing. Probably incredibly painful. And a lot of people only trust me because they can use that nature to bind me."

"So how come they trust me?"

"Some don't. That sniper was originally sent after you, remember? But you've gone and made yourself hard to harm, and hidden in a very secure place, and are making the right noises about neutrality and friendliness. I think half of them haven't made up their minds and the others haven't figured out how to get leverage. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a level where kidnapping Paige was an attempt at that."

Paige smirks, "Which she comprehensively stomped."

"With a little help from her friends", Sara adds grinning. "Yeah, I think they've put kidnapping people on the don't try it list, after that and Donna."

"Good", I say with feeling. "Because honestly, I'm sick of it, it's scary and makes me do awful things, so if they lay off, yay for that."

"Anyway", Sara says, "Changing the subject a bit, I should let you know that I've been busy setting up the conference. Well, me and Petra, she's coordinating the ecumenical side."

It's an unsubtle swerve but I'm glad of it. "Oh? Do tell."

"We're going to kick it off in February. First day on the first, followed by a big party on the second, which is imbolc, one of the pagan holy days. Last day on Valentine's day. The entry and exit on Earth will be in Seattle."

"Why there?"

"Nowhere near here, and it's well connected in a number of occult ways. Also the Medawihla have contacts with the Duwamish people whose traditional land the city is. We've been able to get a pass from them too."

I nod approvingly. "I take it we won't have to be there continuously?"

"Well, two of your bodies already are, up to you how much you want to reveal them. But in terms of exeats, no, just a few, for the big announcement and a few panels. Mostly my cult will be handling the running. And of course, zero commute." Because the main part of the conference is off-world and accessible by door.

"Might take the opportunity to take a look around Seattle", I say. "I only really know it from Shadowrun."

Which makes her giggle. "Kinda similar, fewer flying cars."

"You've been over there already huh?"

"Daddy's doors do make it rather easy. Yes, I've been to and fro. We needed to set up the entrance, parking, stuff like that. The city would be annoyed if we caused a jam."

"Don't think I haven't noticed that the first is also a month after you picked me out of a snowdrift", I say with a grin, snuggling against her.

"Mhm", she agrees, stroking my hair. "I may also have thought of that."

The last bit of drama at breakfast is watching Hamper and Damper get frogmarched out of Crystal Hall by security guys. Goodbye forever to them I think, and no tears on my part.

Necromancy class has been cancelled for the morning, so I've got a four way split. One to my adviser, one to Tolman's class, one to Dyffud, and the investigation team is rallying at Kirby, so Sara and I head over that way. We're joined by Chou, Molly, and Molly's friend, who she introduces as Winnie or Geomancer. She's the one who can track the spell, but I think she's a bit scared of Sara and me, because she stays really quiet and hangs close to Molly.

Outside Kirby, we meet Circe, and a squad of security types in body armour with big guns. Circe has a short discussion with Molly, which results in agreement to have her come along to look after Winnie, provided the two of them stay back from any danger, as they're the most squishy of all of us.

Over the links, I say, "Circe, a moment?"

"Yes, what is it that can't be said out loud?"

"I want to give the security people links. More precisely, I want *you* to give them links."

She thinks about that, nods. "I see. Good thought. They'll take it easier from me. Worried about them?" Because of course, she knows what I can do with a link to someone.

"I just want everyone protected."

"Understandable."

A word to Chou discovers she has, unsurprisingly, given Molly a link. So Molly can give Winnie one, and nobody has to deal directly with scary me. Good, good.

Meanwhile over over in Schuster I knock on the door labelled "Terri Larson". A familiar voice says "Come in", so I do.

Our short discussion reveals that I'm assigned remedial psychic ethics on Tuesdays and Thursdays, fifth and sixth period. Which works. The first aid class, meanwhile, is extra curricular. That will happen on three Sundays in a row and run all day. And there will be adults mixed in. Not a problem, again.

The business of Lillian Dennon is messier. "She initially turned you down, at the start of term. Not enough known about you, she doesn't include the uncouth. But you've shown yourself polite, if unpolished. Now she has a hankering to polish you. It won't be gentle. I've had students break down from her class. And you'll be coming in late with work to catch up."

I say, "I've already heard the scare stories, fight a combat in heels and don't spill the tea."

"Or smudge your makeup. Which I notice, you don't use."

"My chromatophores are just black right now, but I could add colours?" I simulate black lipstick and eyeliner.

Which makes miss Larson giggle. "Oh dear me no. She will definitely insist on the sticky stuff, at least knowing how. And knowing where, too. Because if it's clear to me that you aren't practised, dear, it will be blatant to her." Oops.

I scrunch up my nose. "I can tolerate learning to paint myself with stickiness and goop. It seems useful to be able to mix in society. Even if the combat thing seems a stretch."

"It's mostly to test the rest of it, I'm told. You are assumed, already, to be capable of fighting. Or if not that's someone else's class. The task is doing it and maintaining decorum."

I nod. "Well, I'll meet her, and see if we click, but pencil me in for that, absent any major personality clash."

She nods. "Very well, I'll let her know. She'll want to meet you first, but the class is Fridays, all afternoon."

"That's going to be an interesting set of overlaps, but I can do it."

"She'll want to see you either later today or tomorrow for an introductory interview. Do you have a formal outfit?"

"Not yet, I may need an exeat to jump over to Dunwich and get one."

She considers. "See her in your uniform, then ask her what to get. Or you may end up with an expensive mistake."

Fair point. "Okay."

"I'll let her know. Expect a mail. It may be needlessly flowery. Try to be polite back."

I grin, "I'll do my best."

The group at Kirby has set off, and we're following Winnie's guidance, who's leading, with Molly beside her chatting away. So far, she's leading us towards the woods. Me, who's an idiot and evidently a makeup ignoramus too, decides it's a fun time to whistle the hi-ho song from Snow White. Which makes the security person who's walking beside me giggle. She has a nice voice. "So this link thing, you invented it?" Maybe she's asking to divert me from whistling. Which succeeds.

"I did, yeah. It's kind of an advanced version of the comms thing my friends were already using, but built out of spells."

"We've heard rumours about it, some of the brass have it, but suddenly, now we all have it. Your instigation, I think. Why?" She's smart.

I consider what to say. "It has a secondary use, that might let me protect any of you who gets badly injured. I kind of set this expedition off, pushing Bladedancer to tell Circe, so I feel responsible."

"Yeaaah... there's other rumours. That you brought some frogs back to life. That you did it with a human, but they're hiding who."

"There's personal secrets mixed up in that stuff, but yeah."

"I see." She sounds thoughtful. "Well, let's just hope it isn't needed."

I can only nod my agreement.


	102. Part 102

# # Part one hundred and two

Our trail leads us unerringly closer to the forest's edge, and the group reorganises, with security moving forward to take the lead. We swing around a bit, to triangulate how far into the forest the source is, it seems to be about a hundred meters in. Give or take, because it's resisting precise location.

After a short pause to plan, the group moves into the forest, Molly and Winnie in the center with Chou guarding them, we can't leave them outside since we might need guiding in. Security up front, Circe in the rear, me and Sara flanking, because we're durable and can fight. When we close in on the area, the idea is that security will split, a few stay behind on guard while most of them go ahead and make sure it's clear.

As we go into the trees, I shift to my super suit, which blends well with the white. The forest is quiet, fallen snow eats the sound of our footfalls, it should be calm but something about it is heavy with tension. Most of the others are making slow going in the drifts. Sara and I are trotting over the snow's surface, alert to danger.

When we get closer, I think even the security folks can feel the tension. Their radios are full of static, to the point they have to be switched off as a distraction, but the links are still clear. Whatever dark magic was done here doesn't touch the soul level.

"Alright, civilians stay put, squad move forward", the security squad's leader is a guy from his voice, they're all in the armoured suits so it's hard to guess much. "Stay alert, do not touch anything that looks magical, I want a perimeter. Nothing gets in or out."

I say, "Can you broadcast your vision on link, please, we might spot something important."

"Good idea, do it", the squad leader says. And we can see various perspectives of forest. They're coming up close to a clearing, and I'm guessing that's our destination.

There's something bothering me, and I have to turn my attention to figure what it is. "Where's the magic, we should be seeing it? Unless it's hidden from baselines."

Circe says, "It's probably a circle."

"Circle where... circle *under* the snow... you inside the clearing, mind where you step!", but my warning is too late and suddenly things are happening.

Over the link I get glimpses of sudden movement as humanoid creatures burst up from under the ground. Gun-chatter as the security squad opens up on them. "Bullets aren't doing anything! Fall back!" Sara and I glance, and we rush forward to engage. Circe is telling the others, "Circle up, Bladedancer, your sword may be able to cut these things. Don't disturb me, I'm going to see if I can break the summoning."

Tree boles flash past as Sara and I charge in. As soon as I can see the creatures I start throwing duplicates in teleports behind them, and lighting up sabers. Sara grabs one off a security person and slams it into a tree, and disembowels it with claws. I cut a half dozen of them down, happily they don't seem to heal from lightsaber burns. They're long-armed things with long, dripping slime-covered claws, wide mouths, short legs with spurs at the knee. The ears look feline, pointed and tufted. Teeth in rows, like a shark. Red eyes with no sign of a pupil, but they see well enough.

Several of the security people are in a bad way so I leave duplicates to do first aid, and jump back into the fray, sabers casting purple glows onto the snow as I slash, seeing Sara lift one into the air with tentacles and rip it in half. I think they're still coming because the numbers don't seem to be going down.

I can see one of them has a security person, it sees me, holds a claw over their heart. The meaning's clear, come closer and they die. I run down my options. Slipstream in or teleport? Gets me there fast, but I'm not sure the saber cut would finish the job fast enough to stop that claw touching the heart.

There is one more option but I don't want to use it. It was an idea I'd thought up and then set aside as too full of nasty potential. But needs must... timebase set high enough the world gets red and dim, I open out a tube of vacuum, create a sphere of atomically pure silver in the end, bend space inside the tube to give a harsh gravity field, and the sphere starts moving, even at this timebase it's moving quickly when I release the tube wall just before it crosses into air. I can see the creature's claw pressing inward, it's fast, but the sphere is faster, pushing a visible shock of air, passing through the creature's head, exploding out behind it in a spray of pink, and I vanish what's left of the sphere before it wreaks any more havoc on the surrounding forest. Timebase back to normal and CRACK echoes around drawing looks. The monster falls, claw only scraping the security person's uniform.

I call it my bullshit cannon, and I don't like it one bit.

Suddenly a hush falls over the clearing as Circe's voice echoes, she's speaking a language foreign to me but it makes all the monsters stop, and then dissolve into smoke and vanish.

And like that, it's over. Lightsabers off, and various of me take a look around for casualties.

Those claws had poison, but it's not particularly difficult for me to stop that and patch minor damage. Then I come to a body without a head - I recognise her, though, we talked earlier. One of the other guys says, "Shit, McGraw."

"What? Also who turned out the lights?" It's her voice over the link. Which is spooky as fuck when looking at a headless body.

Okay, I think this calls for a little more than first aid, and I don't care if Doyle is annoyed at me. "Miss McGraw, your head was bitten off, your body's dead, but there's enough life in it that I can rebuild and revive you. It has to be your choice."

"What, you can grow me a new head?"

"Yeah literally that."

"Well fuck yeah, do it, I never used the old one anyway." Which makes the others laugh nervously.

I strip back the uniform and put my fingers against still-warm skin. Close off and seal torn blood vessels, close the severed neck vessels, flow saline into her bloodstream, restart her heart. Push oxygen directly in. Start regrowth from the neck, rebuilding the smashed vertebra and then others on top of it, muscles, tendons, skull bones starting to form, I'm using her DNA to guide the shape. Skull curves and closes, brain growing up from the spinal cord, making space for it, fitting it to the skull. Face rebuilding. Skin, hair growing. She looks asleep, and her hindbrain comes active, she takes a gasping breath, and another. Now reconnecting her soul, painstakingly, point to proper point, and her eyes flicker open. She coughs, spits out blood, looks up at me. "Well fuck me if that wasn't a ride. Hi everyone, I'm back."

"Hey McGraw, check out your face", one of the others says.

"What?" She reaches up and touches her face, and then laughs. "Well damn."

When I look confused, one of the other guys says, "She lost half her face to a flechette grenade from the bad guys at Halloween. But you rebuilt it whole. McGraw, you're almost pretty again. Your mom won't recognise you." Which makes everyone laugh.

She tries to sit up, and with effort succeeds. "Ugh, this feels weird."

"You're using your soul's memories, the physical ones aren't there", I say. "I think you might have strange perspectives on some stuff, weird dreams. And driving a body again after being cut loose from one is gonna feel odd."

"Feels heavy, everything's a damn chore. So we beat those fuckers?"

Circe says, "I have sealed them, yes. The remainder, I can handle myself, alone."

We straggle back out, collecting Chou's group who had defeated a couple of the things, and as soon as the radios work again, they're calling in backup and medical vehicles. Which soon arrive, and everyone gets trundled over to Doyle, even the ones without injuries.

A lot of waiting and a short but thorough check-up later, I'm discharged. Although not yet free, as I have to get debriefed, this time by a familiar face, Lieutenant Forsyth. Which has its downsides as he's no dummy and immediately picks up on the cannon.

"Why do you hate it?"

"It's a stupid, violent, destructive, overpowered nuisance. No ammo limits because it's created matter, I can easily push the velocity up to hypersonic with a long barrel, and because it's gee fields, it's independent of the mass of the bullet. When my back of the envelope calculations started rating in megatons I drew a line under it. I am not some walking weapon. Also I can vanish the bullet which lets me assassinate people and not leave evidence, whoop-de-do. Another skill I do not want anything to do with."

He sighs. "A commendable attitude but you're still going to have to deal with having the ability. This time, it saved someone."

I nod. He's right, but it still bothers me. "Worth it, in the circumstances, but it's another reason for people to fear me. Still, that cat's out of the bag now."

"And it's not the only one. You brought back Robin McGraw. One of my own platoon, so thank you. The docs are still undecided if you put her back together right, but the consensus is yes. They're calling it a medical miracle, but it's more than that, isn't it?"

"If I'm doing things right, it's the start of a shift like we haven't seen since the dawn of science", I agree. "What I'm trying to do is get humans to see beyond the idea the soul is intangible. To view what I did as a technique, not a miracle. And to see the wide open world which that perspective opens up. As well as the risks that they are currently blind to."

He looks thoughtful. "I can't stop my people from pretty much building shrines to you, but I'll give that some thought."

I chuckle. "You know, I might not be completely averse to the shrines. Got a big thing coming up, I might be pushing the religious figure angle a tad. Technically, I *am* a life power."

"Watch yourself with that one", he says. "That can definitely turn and bite you very badly. No prophet is accepted in his home town. Wise words of warning."

"Duly noted", I agree.

As the bell goes for third period, I feel the circle's power dip, sputter and stop. Suddenly the air feels fresher, and the low sky a little less crushingly heavy.

Other me has a change of lessons to go to, but this me takes the chance to just snuggle with Sara, let out of her debriefing too.

"We did a good thing today", she says. "I can feel the place getting lighter, happier."

"Shouldn't you be grumpy about that, little miss evil?", I tease.

"Grr, yes, me grumpy", her attempt to fake it leaves us both in giggles. "Perhaps I'm coming around to your perspective a little. I may be a creature of lust and darkness, but I can enjoy a little happiness too. Besides, your kind of happiness seems to include a fair helping of lust." I giggle as she shares her Sara-o-vision over the mark, reminding me of our closeness with that most intimate connection, and I can feel half the buildings on campus lit up with purple flares. "Fraternisation in full swing."

"No lessons before lunch yourself?", I ask.

She shakes her head. "Absolutely free as a bird, darling." And grins. "Race you, no warping", and we're off, dashing through the snow towards Hawthorne.


	103. Part 103

# # Part one hundred and three

If you're wondering how well I could manage two separate classes while all that mess was going down, it was okay while we were just walking over. But when everything went to hell, Dyffud stopped me and had me meditate, and Sensei Tolman told me to sit out and watch. I wasn't exactly distracted, but my chi was all over the place. I still haven't got that under control across bodies in a pinch. At least now I can feel it, though.

Luckily the actual battle was short, if very violent. Which now leaves me stuck benched and watching the others spar.

Sensei Tolman comes over and sits with me. There's a pause, as we watch the other students squaring off in their pairs. "You've been holding back a lot. I can see that when you fight."

"This class, I'm sticking to the syllabus", I say. "For the others as well as myself. If I'm using the stuff we've been taught, they get to see how to do it right."

She nods, looks at me. "Do you think you're too advanced for the class now?"

I think for a moment, then shake my head. "What I'm learning from Dyffud is... advanced, intricate, but patchy. I either know it or I don't. What I haven't seen, I know nothing about. Much I've seen but not used. Even if I've used it, it's been against him. As if I had grammar and vocabulary, but no experience speaking."

"Good answer", she nods. "Still, I'll be bringing in some more advanced students in when I can borrow them, and you can let your brakes off a bit. You do need to practise that stuff he's filling your head full of."

I smile. "I'd appreciate it."

"Also, blockhead, try not to get into pitched battles in the middle of my lesson" She raps me on the head, making me say "ow".

"Sorry. Wasn't planned, the security squad was supposed to be over-caution."

She sighs. "Well, judging by your chi, it's over now. Would you like to rejoin the class?"

I nod, "Yes, Sensei. Circe says she can take it from here, which means it stops being my business, I won't be distracted."

"Alright, next change of partners, I'll call one out for you." She stands and moves off.

Dyffud, meanwhile, is taking a different tack. "Why don't you run through what just happened, for me?" He sounds genuinely curious.

So I explain, and he listens, and then we go through the detail of the fight, and he has me show - with a lit lightsaber, even - what exact cuts and stances I used. I have to stop short of scarring the floor on a few that went through and into dirt. He nods. Then asks me about the fight with Lycanthros and Nightgaunt. So I show him my moves on that one too.

He doesn't look impressed. "Your moves were practical and they worked, against those opponents. You just moved the blade through where they were, and chop, dead. With a lightsaber, that's effective. With a more conventional sword, you would have bent the blade, jammed it in a shallow cut, or just not had enough force to cut at all. And meanwhile your stance was sloppy, too static, flat-footed and full of openings. You weren't even thinking about combined offence and defence. You didn't expect a return blow, or for your cut to be avoided and used against you. Luckily, both times, you were right."

I nod. "That's fair. I wasn't really thinking that way. I wanted the fight to end, I was taking the shortest path to that."

"Which is an important start, I'll grant you. Okay so, we'll be adding weapons, a jo staff should be a good stand in. Not actual sabers, Elizabeth would never let me hear the end of it if I let you cut up the floor. But some of the skills should transfer. And maybe some day, you'll prefer a wooden stick to a live blade, and that will stand you in good stead too."

"May all my fights be ones I can resolve so peacefully", I agree.

For the rest of the lesson, we focus on chi stuff. "This is something I've been talking to the other group about, but until just now, you didn't have enough ability to sense the flow of chi for me to be able to demonstrate them to you. But I think now, you can, and it should be a welcome distraction from the adrenaline jitters over on the other side."

So we talk for a bit about the Chinese five-element system, and how they aren't really "elements" so much as named reference points in a transformational flow, and how they connect to different styles of fighting. And he demonstrates their chi flow for me, with quite clear and obvious differences between them. Of course I'm now going back through today's training, and labelling stuff he did. Then guess-labelling other lessons, before I had chi sight. "Ah, I see."

He chuckles. "Well, let's try it", and we're back to sparring, except this time I have another layer to track. Not just in following him, but in attempting to make use of the transitions he's implicitly shown me.

Lesson ends with a warm-down and meditation, but I think I've made a substantial advance there. It should amongst other things help me de-escalate a fight. That's something I'm glad to have.

Third period sees a change-over. I have ranges, and flight license training. Both interesting classes.

As I make my way down into the range, Caitlin waves me over. "So what's this I hear about you using an unregistered weapon?"

Hoo boy. "Nothing so fast as scuttlebutt, huh? It's not exactly a weapon so much as powers stuff. I'm not sure how that gets regulated here. But I used it in a life threatening emergency, if that helps."

"It might, what is it?"

"You saw me make the saber by creating matter in a vacuum tube. And I've had experience with slipstreaming, opening them up real fast. So I open a tube for a barrel, create a bullet in it, add a gravity gradient, wait until just before the bullet hits the end, let the tube and the gradient go. High timebase lets me do it all under precision control. And I can vanish the bullet at any stage in its travel. Linear accelerator, no recoil."

"Maximum firepower?"

"I haven't found it, or tried. It seems very likely I could shoot as hard as a navy battleship. Possible I could stretch it into the megatons. Given I don't know my limits..." I shrug. "The worst case scenario is I could shoot the planet apart like a Death Star. I have absolutely no intention whatsoever of doing that."

"Minimum?"

"There's no reason I couldn't use it as a ping pong ball launcher."

She considers. "Okay. I got the life threatening emergency bit from security, too, they really don't want me going hard on you. They were pretty insistent about that. So just don't use the thing again until I clear you, capeesh? And don't get yourself into any life threatening emergencies. Now scram, get over to your station, we're learning plasma rifles today."

I nod. "Understood. Will do." and grin, and head to my station.

Billie meets me outside Laird, in her "space pirate" gear, which is kind of a white tabard belted with a sash over a red and black outfit. "We're over on the field today. That's just over there. You'll need your costume again. That's really just a precaution in case we get spotted in the air."

So I tease her by changing into mine without breaking stride. "This do?"

"Gah, how... no, I do not need to know." She laughs. "I swear you invent new powers by the day."

"I remix old ones. Should I include my instrument pack?"

"Can you read instruments?"

"These ones, yes. Direct data hookup."

"What do you have?"

"Mostly what you'd call raw sensors. I'll do the conversion to altitude and speed in my head. Terrain avoidance database, GPS, map. Also a very flexible radio. Transmit, receive, direction and distance. That works as a passive radar and I can pick up beacons with it."

"Rather you than me with the raw data. But yeah, include it, can't hurt and you'll definitely want the radio."

My pack appears and clings on to my costume, and I can feel the instrument feeds opening up. It's like adding another half a dozen senses. Like for example, I can hear WARS, and I can also feel precisely where the transmission tower is. With that and a few dozen other radio sources acting as beacons, it's going to be fairly easy to find my way around.

Mr Buttons is waiting in the field, and he's wearing what looks like some devisor jet-pack harness. "Alright, I don't expect to keep up with you, but I should be able to stay at your altitude. We'll be starting with communicating with the local air traffic controller, Tennyo, you can lead us through that the first time. And please remember, both of you, keep it to codenames on the air."

While I'm up there practising standard-rate turns ("three degrees per second, two minutes the full circle, *not* instantaneous, or you'll completely confuse the air traffic control") I'm also lounging on Sara's bed, watching my beloved play "good and evil online". I can tell from her villainous chuckling she's having fun, even if her victims are not. I've never been much of a one for games, but for her, this is her let-off-the-leash time, and it's sweet watching her enjoy it.

Unexpectedly I'm nudged on the links. "Hey there sweetie, it's Donna, are you busy?"

"Never busy for Donna-mama. What have you got?"

"Couple bits of news for you. First up, some feedback on influence. The formal indicators won't tick for another half month or so, but we've been keeping an eye on the informal day to day totals in places that record them. Same pattern everywhere, violence down across the board, hate crimes down, unsolicited confessions up. Also we're getting reports from our therapists on retainer, that they are swamped for business largely with people working through their guilt. And several millenarian cults popping up claiming that the worldwide biological breakthrough events on the 8th were advance warning of a new world dawning."

"They aren't too wrong there."

She chuckles "I know. But dear, it's not just dawning. All the signs we're seeing out there suggest a sharp rate of change. Without knowing how far we have to go, I'd still say it's going to be over in months, not years. That is going to create some serious social disruption."

"I may have something, or rather, someone, for you, there. If she agrees to become involved. Another student, but with her consent I've pulled her all the way through influence. She's your reference endpoint."

"Really? Please definitely ask her. We'll be willing to provide a very generous pay package."

"I expected as much. I'll pass it on. So what's news item two?"

"ARC has been contacted by a delegation of very high level wizards who want to get in touch with you."

I wince a little. "Donna, wizards are some of the relatively few people that could still potentially do me serious harm. Do you know what their agenda is?"

"To an extent, yes. They're members of an informal international council of wizardly types that, while it technically isn't in charge of anything, kind of rides herd on the world's less villainous wizards. Let's say, if we're talking alignments, they skew heavily to the lawful. We've worked with some of the people in this delegation before."

"I'm guessing they want to decide if I'm something to welcome or something to attack?"

"That's my feeling too. Meeting with them is risky, but it would show willing."

"Tell them I'll meet, but I'll need an exeat. And not Saturday, I'm scheduled for a meeting with a local bugaboo and I feel I ought to give it undivided attention. But with school permission, I'm clear any other day."


	104. Part 104

# # Part one hundred and four

By lunchtime, I've covered the flight syllabus on following directions from air traffic control for take-off and landing, and waiting in the air for a runway. It's not quite exactly the same stuff planes use, because mutant flyers are usually more manoeuvrable, I certainly am. But it's still important to avoid making some innocent aircraft into aluminium confetti, due to being somewhere unexpected. The license I'm working towards won't qualify me to fly on instruments alone, but I'm still getting good use out of the things, they make it easy to be quite precise about things like heading and speed.

An email from Miss Dennon arrives as I'm headed to lunch. "Dear Miss Parallel. You are invited to an Introductory Interview for a placement in my class, Exemplar Grace, which will take place today, the Seventeenth of January, in the Venus Inc. Clubroom of Dunn Hall, during Sixth period. The favour of a Reply confirming your Intent to Attend is requested by Fifth period." It isn't actually in calligraphic copperplate, thank goodness. But whee. It sounds as if it needs a herald with a trumpet to announce it. How does one formally say "yes"?

A short web search later, I write back, "Dear Miss Dennon, I am delighted to accept your invitation, and will be there at the appointed hour." Let's hope the phrasing meets her standards. That should be interesting.

Heading into Crystal Hall, I catch sight of Tansy in the food line, looking a bit shell-shocked, and head over to meet her with a hug.

"Hey Jules, thanks", she says, leaning against me. "Sorry for the glum looks. It's been a hard morning."

"If you wanna talk, I'm all ears, if you wanna not, I can do quiet", I say, meanwhile filling up a tray (baked garlic mushrooms, yum), and other me comes in from the ranges and begins filling up her tray too. (Tortellini in tomato sauce, looks very edible.)

"Quiet, I think, for now", Tansy nods. "I've done enough baring my heart for one morning. How was yours?"

"Fighting beasties, saving a security guard who'd died, combat classes, and then zap guns and flying around in circles", I say. "Eventful, if occasionally terrifying. Although the third period was more restful."

She laughs. "If I didn't know you, I'd think you were exaggerating. Did I parse that right, you saved someone... who had died?"

I nod. "Got her head bit off. I rebuilt it from genetics, booted her body back up, and reattached her soul, she's fine." Yes, I am teasing a little with the deadpan tone.

Which makes Tansy giggle, and I can see the weight falling off. "No, seriously."

"Yes, seriously."

She pauses and looks at me. "You actually mean that."

"Anyone who has a link, I can do that. Rebuild a body that's mostly still functioning, or make a copy from a cellular snapshot, or just design them a new one. Congratulations, you're immortal, kinda-sorta, provided you want to be, of course."

"Huh." She has to take a moment to process that. Then, "I do want to be, of course, although I hadn't really thought about dying. It feels like that's a deliberate part of the design? But not exactly a public one yet."

"You know the hmm, secret information I mentioned having? One of those pieces concerns a friend, who's scheduled to get murdered."

"You made that impossible. I see." She's thoughtful, as we sit down. "Links are spreading. You're going to be in a position to save a lot of people. That wasn't an accident, was it?"

"I'm hoping to teach them to do it for themselves, rather than running myself ragged curing a hundred and fifty thousand people a day."

She looks down at her plate. "It just hit me. I was kinda, unconsciously expecting to grow up into a world that looks very much like this one, but that's not true is it? You're going to turn the place on its ear."

I nod, giving Sara a glance which she returns with a smile. "Kinda the plan, for a number of reasons. But I understand it's going to be a shock. I'm already expecting the influence thing to blow up some in the short term. People won't like being changed, and they won't all agree that what they're being changed into is better."

"H-one is going to pitch a screaming fit", Tansy says, with a forkful of tortellini. "Mutant mind control, they'll call it. And ungodly zombie resurrection for what you call saving people. They'll make you into some kind of Antichrist."

That gets a nod from Paige. "I know the type, all too well. They'll double down as soon as they realise the influence is forcing empathy on them. They already have ways to fight it." She winces at a thought. "I think they'll go on a killing rampage just to try and tamp it down with shared guilt. It's effective."

That gets a head shake from Tansy. "It was. It won't be. Guilt in me just... bubbles, wants out. Can't be hidden. When they get where I am, they'll confess, they'll have to. And empathy... it's different. It's richer, it burns. When I saw from Elaine and Joanne's faces, what they thought I'd done to them... it broke me, I was crying. Old me would have just taken it." She sighs, visibly pushes the feelings back. "But that won't save the people they hurt trying."

"Links will", Erin joins in. "Not just the hard way, although that might matter. But just being able to call someone, call the cops, call you, even. You can jump over to them and pull them to safety, at a pinch. Although they have to know to call."

That gets me thinking. "I could release a new version of links, put in an auto trigger on fear?"

Paige shakes her head. "Plenty of mental health conditions, that will trip all the damn time for no reason at all. And likely, *not* trip the one time it isn't crying wolf. There's a weird calm you get when it's real. It's like your mind goes, oh yeah, this is what we've been training for, we can handle this. No, the best answer is to get the knowledge out there that they can call you. And get the links out there too."

Sara says, "We'll tell the world at the conference. And Jules, my cult is busy with preparations, but they can spread links amongst themselves and to contacts and friends. Hmm, and Petra can pass them to the Knights. I'll get them started on that right away."

I nod. "I'm not sure the Catholic church is entirely the good guys, but, the Knights should be. Hmm, and we can get Eli to spread them to the... tribe, and their contacts." Shouldn't say wolves in public.

That gets a wince from Sara. "They're in active conflict with something that attacks at the soul level."

The Bastard and friends, right, good point. "You're worried contagion will spread over the links?"

"Or they'll fry everyone connected to them with class-X feedback."

A nod from me. "I've already built in a level of security, but I'll recheck the code with that in mind." I kick off a bunch of selves to do that. "We'll run into that problem sooner or later, the system needs to be hardened against it."

Tansy's looking at us with a worried frown. "What is it you guys are dancing around? Soul level attacks, class X... Oh damn, it's GOOs, isn't it?"

"Let's take it to links, I don't want to be overheard by half the school", I say, then on links, "Yeah, good deduction, it's GOOs. We, um, may be in a teensy bit of a war. Me, Sara, and her daddy are the ones on humanity's side."

Sara adds, "The others are split between indifference, predatory indifference, and enmity. But there's a particular one who's been attacking our friends in the tribe, and that one takes over the bodies and minds of people his minions attack. Avoiding getting that in the links is important."

Tansy looks thoughtfully at me. "Ah. I suppose that answers the question that's been itching in the back of my mind, what's the ungodly rush. Everything you've been doing implies hurry, but you haven't explained it. You're in a race to enhance humans because this whoever it is is racing you back, to harm them."

Sara nods grimly, "That one has been winning the race, inch by inch, and we couldn't do a lot more than dig in our heels to hold his speed down to a crawl, daddy and I. We do have plans, but things took a define turn when Jules entered the picture."

I say, "His pattern is bigotry, discord, dissolution. Look out at the world and you can see his stamp on it. What I did last week cut absolutely directly against his plans, and he knows he's on a timer now with influence eating away at his lead. He's certain to return fire. So the hurry is to build up a strategic position."

Tansy takes a pause to think that through, then, "I see. That business with attacking the base to get Paige, what you did to Necromancer, the links, saving people, it's a pattern. You're making allies, sowing fear and respect among your enemies, building up protection for your friends. Everyone else sees just a scary powerful kid who's close with her circle and neutral on the villains thing. But you're thinking like a general who expects to be attacked. You've even made yourself a nice cosy base here, surrounded by very competent and protective adults." She chuckles. "Dear fuck, I'm glad I didn't come after you. You're loaded for bear."

"I wish I didn't have to be", I nod. "It's no fun feeling like the sky's about to fall, and it's no fun twisting myself to become hard. Soft is really so much more my style."

She nods. "I feel you there." And looks thoughtful.

Sara smirks, "We do manage to fit in a bit of soft. As you've already experienced."

That gets a giggle. "Mhm, and hard in all the right places. Yes, I see. It changes the pattern, when I look at you through that lens. Like a group of warriors hugging before battle. Not that there's anything wrong with slutting around for the sake of it." Another thoughtful pause. "Sara, you were here before Jules, I understand you a bit better, now, too, I think. You carried the weight alone. And hid it behind that miss spooky demon princess act."

"I'll have you know it's not an act", Sara puts a pointed tongue out at Tansy. "I really am a demon princess."

"The unworried smile was an act, though." Tansy's not easily teased off course. A thoughtful pause. "The Kimbas were your first backup team."

"They still are. Rumours of our breakup were greatly exaggerated. Although, there are, hmm, ethical tensions."

"Namely they don't slut around", Tansy nods, amused.

"And several of them have difficulty handling the way I eat, yes. Also they don't entirely trust me. The demon thing is hard to get past."

"Ayla has come a long way, from when I knew him as Trevor, to even be in a room with you. Yes, I see."

The Kimbas themselves are oblivious to our discussing them. We've been talking out the morning's fight, with Chou's perspective of an interesting contrast to mine. That was mostly a defensive action, helped by Molly's summoned ally and the security folks who stayed behind with the group. I think it has brought them closer together, Chou was talking about forming a team. Then I got to go through my much more attack-oriented fight, and Dyffud's tear-down of it. Which gets me onto the five elements thing, and now Toni is hot to fight me. Spar, she says, but I'm hearing "challenge". Ah well, could be good practise. We can do that in lunch break if we don't dawdle over out food.


	105. Part 105

# # Part one hundred and five

My shoes crunch in snow, as I head out onto the grass field beside Crystal Hall. Toni's following behind me, and a small group behind her. All the Kimbas, of course, and the Pack, which includes Tansy now, and a few other curious onlookers. I recognise Zenith and I'm guessing the middle-eastern girl with her is Sahar. I already vanished my other body, deciding to keep just one of me around for this. A clothing shift to my gi, and my next step is barefoot - snow feels refreshingly cool, and squeezes between my toes. I turn, grin. "Looks like a good enough spot, you cool?"

"I'm damn freezing and you are a scary spooky kid." Toni's grinning too. "But since the weather ain't gonna warm itself up for me, it'll do."

"You say the nicest things. Ready when you are." I take up a neutral stance, left foot stepped forward, hands up in a simple guard, open rather than closed into fists. We haven't really discussed rules, but I'm assuming anything we've covered in Dyffud's class is fair game, powers other than chi and my exemplar/regen stuff are out, but I'm cool to use my enhanced senses and fast thinking. I won't be using claws for anything but grip.

She tips her head to one side and the other, like she's making the vertebra pop, then she's suddenly moving forward. She really shouldn't be getting that much traction on snow, so there's a chi trick behind it, I wonder if I can copy it. I'm trying a new trick myself, running different copies of me at different timebases, so the subtleties of her movement are clear. Unsurprisingly, in terms of elements, pure fire. As soon as she's in range she swings a straight chi-accelerated punch to the face.

My response is one of Dyffud's counters, fire within earth, step out of line with a brush-block that leaves her off balance for an instant and pivot into a dropping elbow strike, which she evades, but has to twist in a messy tumble that turns into a cartwheel-handspring, and she's back up and in stance.

When Dyffud used that one on me, I fell for it. Cracked ribs hurt.

"Not bad, not bad. I guess you've been listening in class."

I grin. "Stop trying to hit me, and hit me." Morpheus quotes for the win. She snickers, so she knows what I'm quoting. I do the whole-hand 'come on then' beckon that Morpheus did.

And she does come right at me, this time with a flurry of strikes from more grounded footwork, and I'm responding with blocks and counter-strikes. It's like push hands at Matrix speed, both of us fighting to control the center line, stepping back and forth, trying to trap feet. Fire/fire mostly, with some fire/earth. But then she slips under my strike with a water redirection and my center line's open, and I can't stop the palm strike that knocks the wind out of me and throws me back hard enough I have to scramble with quick steps to stay off my ass.

Takes a second for my ability to breathe to return, but I'm grinning all the time. This is fun!

"*Yame!*" A man's voice, unexpectedly, from the side. Of course, when someone calls 'yame' in a spar, you just stop. So I release the tension that was about to propel me back towards Toni, and turn to look at the guy who spoke. While keeping partial attention on my peripheral view of Toni, so she doesn't jump me. Which she won't, but, yanno, practise.

Short Japanese guy. Looks old, but there's not a scrap of fat on him. No openings in his stance, either, despite standing seemingly casually. "Ito Soke, I presume", I say. Oh hey, we've picked up quite a lot more audience, while I've been focused on Toni.

"Miss Parallel, I also presume. And of course, Chaka, I know. Why are you fighting?"

"We aren't", I say. "Because of course, I'm not allowed to start fights. Nor are people allowed to start them against me." I tap my blue armband. "We're sparring."

"The difference being what?" He knows the difference. He just wants us to squirm, which I'm not inclined to.

"Neither of us had any intent to harm the other. Also I'm restricting my options considerably so we can try out our martial arts technique, rather than play 'whose powers win'."

"And whose would?" Tsk, earning his title of 'evil old man', putting me in a spot.

I answer truthfully, "Against Toni alone, mine, I can teleport and fly outside her range and I have stand-off attacks. But if it were a fight, she wouldn't be alone. That I wouldn't care to handicap. Or try." Thoughts of battling Billie do not fill me with glee.

He nods. "I too, wish to keep the planet intact. Very well. Fighting in public, outside of a dojo and unsupervised, is not permitted. Neither is sparring. But as I see the two of you have already stopped, I think we can leave matters there. Miss Parallel, I look forward to meeting you in my dojo. Sooner, I think, rather than later."

He bows. I bow too, more deeply. Toni, after a moment, follows suit. And then he just walks away.

"He likes you", Zenith from the side, smirking. "I think you impressed him, wearing a gi in the snow. Also stopping right away when he said to."

Oh yeah, I'm still in my gi, which is pretty damp by now. Forgot that. A delete-recreate gets me a fresh body with a fresh uniform. Toni meanwhile is using some chi trick to shake herself dry.

Billie comes over, "Nice fight, Jules. You two would look like the Matrix even if it weren't for the wisecracking. I think you impressed a bunch of people."

"Toni fought well too", I say, because it feels unfair to hog the glory.

Jade chimes in, "Yeah, but we all know Toni can fight."

Zenith smiles to Toni as she comes over, then says to me, "Jules, have you met Semi?", indicating the girl with her.

I shake my head. "Heard of, but not met. Nice to meet you." I let her lead rather than extending my hand, in case the contact might cause unwanted telepathic leakage. When she smiles and bows, I follow suit.

"Nice to meet you too. And thank you for being considerate. Don't worry, us telepaths have been warned that you are on the hands-off list." She smiles as Tansy comes over to join us, "And here's my room-mate, who you have greatly improved. I should thank you for that."

"Shucks, I'd have probably got over my bitchy self anyhow", Tansy says. "Maybe not for a few months yet but..."

"The winter term, at least, will be improved", Semi says with a teasing smile.

After that, we have to hurry to our classes. Paige and Sara walk with me as we head towards the escape class.

"You've got pretty good at the unarmed stuff", Paige says as we walk. "If I don't miss my guess, you've learned all of that inside a week, too."

"It's Dyffud", I agree. "He knows so much, even his smallest movements teach me things. I have background threads just scouring all my memories of him for new stuff, and I'm constantly finding bits and bobs."

"Wish I could learn as fast."

"You might be able to", I say. "Remember how it felt when I split my focus, with you along for the ride?"

"Felt like my brain was being run through a wringer", she winces. "Although, you've got me living with a two way split now all the damn time, I guess it might go easier?"

I nod. "That was always the plan. If you can handle two, then going to three, and then as many as you please, is just a bit more work. And with background threads, your ability to learn goes up a lot."

Paige snickers. "I get the feeling you're using me for a guinea pig. Your first multi-mind human."

I nod. "You'll be able to teach the others, is the plan."

Sara says "A very cute guinea pig. Cuter than the regular ones, I think. They're mostly just snuffles and fur." Which gets a blue glowing tongue from Paige.

Escape class is a quiet break from what has been a fairly hectic day. We're doing straitjackets, and I'm content to watch and learn. It's nice to just spend time next to my loves, even if we do have to keep it decorous in class. I feel like I've been short-changing Sara for attention, and I should do something about that.

As fifth period draws to a close, I consider plans. Codes with Paige should be straightforward. I doubt Englund has any dirty trick to spring on me in his demon-bothering class, he'll be saving those for the hearing tomorrow. Miss Dennon's interview is the wild-card. My first time to Dunn Hall in a few days, I haven't been there since I tested out of languages. And I've never been to the Venus Inc clubroom. I hope it's not too hard to find.

Fifth period ends, and it's time to find out. I give Sara a big hug, in promise of more to come, and then Paige and I head off one way, while another two of me head off in others.

Whoever redid Whateley after they took the place over had an excessive fondness for brutalist concrete, in my opinion. There are much nicer ways to make buildings, ones that would invoke the spirit of place rather than ignore it. At least Dunn Hall is comfortably modern inside, and asking around gets me directions to the clubroom. Quick check, is there anything I've forgotten, or should change? No, I don't think so. Clean clothes, no makeup (as I have no idea how to do it properly), hair in place in the style I've chosen. I wonder if I should learn a more formal style? Too late for that now, but I'll ask Gothmog. Although I'm not sure how current he is.

At least the door is clearly marked, rather than some concealed cubbyhole. Okay, here we go.

I step in, precisely as the sixth period bell goes. That's not an accident, but I'm hoping it makes a good impression. Closing the door, I look around. The room is a sudden change in style from the spartan institutional cream paint of the corridor. It's wood panelled, carpeted, there are paintings hung tastefully. G-sense shows brush strokes, so originals. Not artists I recognise immediately. Only one person in the room, an older woman with dark hair that has silver streaks.

"Good, welcome. I see you've chosen to come in your uniform?"

"Ma'am. I decided it was best to seek advice before trying to pick a formal outfit. I wouldn't want Miss Rogers to feel she'd wasted her efforts." Not stated: because I find pranks like the one on Donna's outfit more funny when the target isn't me.

I think Miss Dennon can read between those lines, as she looks amused. "No, that would be a mistake. Very well. We will be using prop outfits today. Strip."

I wonder if she's expecting me to be bashful? I'm not though, so I just vanish my outfit, my feet dropping a few millimetres onto deep carpet. She raises an eyebrow, "Efficient." Then takes a few moments to walk around me. I don't turn to track her, because she's clear enough on my other senses. "The hair, looks accidental, but it's not, is it?"

"Gothmog's design", I agree. "I can reshape it, longer, shorter, change the cut, it's prehensile, but this is one I know how to do, that suits my usual mood. I could change the colour, but I rather like white."

"I've read your file. Full biological control. Which means that your shape - no curves, A-cup tits, wiry and muscular, and your, hmm, mixed undercarriage, are choices made deliberately. Are you rejecting femininity?"

"If you've read my secret file, you'll know I haven't had a body capable of femininity for much longer than two weeks. I'm untrained and unused to it. I've picked a nice intermediate point that doesn't get underfoot and doesn't swamp me in boys I don't care for."

She nods. "I've read that file. If you are accepted for the class, you will learn to deal with men, and boys, gracefully, even if you don't value their more intimate company. You'll also learn femininity, as a tool if nothing else. Hopefully you'll learn to see its uses."

I nod. "I'd enjoy that."


	106. Part 106

# # Part one hundred and six

Did Miss Dennon get me to carry teacups by the saucer, in heels and a dress with a book on my head? Yes, she did, which was honestly quite fun. Once I got the balance point of the shoes down, it wasn't hard at all. I was almost tempted to pull acrobatic tricks - a temptation I thankfully resisted, or I think she'd have torn strips off me. If only for panty-flashing. "You must remember that showing your underwear is a signal. At the right moment, it might cement a seduction. At the wrong moment, it will embarrass you." Evidently the class studies how to adapt combat forms to the requirements of modesty. I suppose it matters, if you get jumped by Captain Evil while bodyguarding the ambassador at a soiree, or something. It's a skill I might theoretically need, but I'm allowed to mock it in the privacy of my head.

Miss Dennon looks thoughtful, as I waddle back across the room with my slightly ludicrous burden. "So, it's clear your balance is excellent, and you learn physical skills fast. It's also clear you've never walked in heels before today, and you're guessing how. That gait is very stable, dear, but it's not very sexy. Put the tea down, and then copy me."

I notice she didn't mention the book, so that stays on, which gets a smile from her. "Very good. Like this."

'Like this' turns out to be interesting, a hip sway and stepping across myself, literally going from crossed legs one way to crossed the other. Strange, but works.

"Smaller steps... heel down first... good, crossing right over like this exaggerates the sway, that's a power strut, but it's enough to just put one foot in front of the other if you're trying to look professional or demure."

Add those to the list of things I've never seriously tried to look. "I'm just so new to all of this... even this way of thinking", I admit. "I'll let you in on a secret. I do remember my previous life, and, well, I never cared about any of this. Not because it didn't matter, because it wouldn't make a difference, no matter how hard I tried. Stupid wrong shaped body meant I'd be wasting my time, you know?"

She tips her head to the side thoughtfully. "And I think you still have a bit of contempt for it."

With my access to the workings of my head, I can't shrug that accusation off. "Yeah. People growing up male are taught it's both weak and somehow terribly sneaky at the same time, I kind of caught that and haven't shaken it off... I've offended you, I apologise."

She pats me on my head. "You aren't my first ugly duckling, you know. Or my first awkward changeling. You recognise when you've put a foot wrong, without me having to scold you, that's good. And so. Let's try on dresses for you, and find what suits you best, and meanwhile, I'll explain why this stuff matters. That one's a skater dress, by the by. I chose it so it wouldn't impede your movement, but it's not really formal enough for my class. You will learn to move within the limits of something formal, rather than ripping out of it like a cartoon brick."

"Or teleporting out of it into costume and escalating things."

"Indeed. Not that you'll never want to do that, but it changes the context. Instead of being a woman at a soiree who's unexpectedly good at martial arts, now you're a cape and it's a cape fight. People tend to run away from those screaming. Try this one, it's an A-line."

I pop out of my current dress, and tentacle fold it while I'm slipping on the one offered. "I'm figuring, context is why this stuff matters?"

"Formal occasions have conventions of dress, of movement, of speech. Follow them flawlessly, and you won't be noticed for them, you'll just fit in. You might be noticed for other things, such as your unconventional looks. But you won't be ostracised as uncouth, gauche, sloppy, or an outsider." she looks at me, and then hands me another dress. "Strapless, I'm expecting this not to work too well with your figure, but it's worth trying."

She's right that it kinda sags off the front, and to amuse myself I put a bit of sorcery in my boobs and grow them out some. "Ta-da!"

Which makes her laugh. "I wish any of us could do that. Yes it fits now, are you going to keep your bust that size?"

That stumps me. "I dunno, do you think I should? I know I've been avoiding femininity."

She stops and considers. "Mannerisms matter more. If you want to be graceful, you'll have to start thinking and acting with grace, all the time, all day long. But a few more curves might help set the tone."

"I'll see what I can get away with, without going up too many sizes and having to re-buy all my clothes. Or bust the buttons off, like Bugs always looks about to."

She looks amused. "Yes, that would be bad, especially in a silk dress like this. Alright, next one, this is a halter neck with a wrap skirt."

We both agree that the halter neck fits me nicely. Miss Dennon nods. "That's the style I'm going to recommend you buy. And I'm willing to accept you for my class, if you are willing to accept my instruction. I warn you, I won't go easy on you. You'll have a couple weeks of term to catch up. We meet on Fridays, here, periods four through six. Can you have a dress ready by Friday?"

"I'll see if Cecilia can do it in time. If not, I'll make a duplicate of this one."

"Works for me", she says.

Over on the other side, Paige and I are working through problems in differential cryptanalysis. And on the other, other side, Englund is teaching the class about Solomonic demons, that is, those bound by the Contract of Solomon. Which includes my beloved. It seems if they're summoned, they have to bargain, but on the other hand, they can't cheat and go easy on you, they have to drive as hard a bargain as they can get away with. This is supposedly a deliberate safety-valve to stop people just summoning up armies. And what has been summoned can be banished.

I suspect Sara can't be banished, because nobody summoned her. She was born here, and she's a native. But if somebody put her name in a circle and summoned her up, then the rules start to apply.

Englund then goes into a few banishing rituals. It seems some of them work without magic, because you're basically praying for God to intervene. (The ones he gives as examples are very Christian flavoured, to no one's surprise.) Downside is, you'd better be a solid believer.

Since I've already found the books Gothmog has on demons and banishing them, this all isn't much news to me, and I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I'm not sure they teach on Earth at all. But a quiet lesson is honestly welcome, I'm still somewhat jangled from Monday's miniature war.

As sixth period is drawing to a close, I get an email from the Head, asking me to come over at the end of lessons. She doesn't say what it's about.

With Miss Dennon letting me go early, I send that body over to Sara's room, to wait for the others - and discuss my ideas for editing my shape. I also send out an email to Cecilia asking if she can do a formal dress for me by Friday? I'm guessing the answer is going to involve sucking teeth and the phrase "it's going to cost ya". But I can live with that.

And as the bell rings, me-with-Paige hugs her and then heads off to the job, and I make my way overland towards Schuster. Why not take the tunnels? Well, I like the sight of the stars, even if I probably shouldn't sing to them, and the cold doesn't bother me these days. I love the fresh air, and the way the campus smells like trees even when you're in the built-up part.

So tempted to break into song. So very tempted.

I restrain myself to skipping and dancing a bit as I make my way across, drawing looks, but meh, let them look. And then I'm heading inside Schuster and it's back to inside-smells and less fresh (but warmer) air. I'm not kept waiting outside the Head's office for long, before she opens her own door and calls me in. Unexpectedly, we have company. Two older men I don't know. One of them has a very military look, the other not, although they're both in suits.

The Head makes introductions. "General Miller, Mr Wilson, this is Miss Parallel, of whom you have heard. Miss Parallel, these are General Miller, representing the US Military, and Mr Wilson, representing the civilian government."

I bow rather than offering to shake hands. "A pleasure to meet you both."

The Head continues, as we all take our seats, "These two gentlemen and I have been negotiating a resumption of normal relations between the federal government, the armed forces, and my school. Monday's incident was not the first time we've been at loggerheads, but it's the first time we've had to respond in such force and with such numbers. I've pointed out that it was also the first time a student was blatantly kidnapped off campus, and they've accepted that. We also agreed that the infiltration of Palm drones into their command structure makes a difference, in that we didn't attack a US base operating according to lawful orders, nor were we attacked by such. They're willing to treat the whole business as 'lawful cape intervention' provided we help them sweep their ranks for any other similar infestation. Which leaves one last sticking point, namely, you."

Mr Wilson picks up the thread. "We keep tabs on students here. Just on general principle, to watch for future issues. Your name came to our attention even before you led this... expedition. To date, we've seen you teleport an army across half a continent, shrug off anti-aircraft fire, create weapons out of thin air, and kill a well known villain in such a way, our investigators assure us, that his soul was completely destroyed. We know from reports that you can create multiple bodies, and that killing them doesn't faze you. We know you're capable of extreme feats of magic, without using conventional wizardry. We've also heard recent reports that you've gained the ability to fly at high mach speeds in and out of atmosphere. And finally, our more... obscure contacts tell us that two weeks ago you destroyed a mi-go abduction craft by bisecting it lengthwise with some sort of radiation weapon."

He pauses and continues. "Miss Parallel, we're used to dealing with capable mutants, but you're right at the top of the scale and possibly beyond it, and your abilities show no signs of slowing their growth. Just today, I've been overhearing scuttlebutt about you bringing a member of security here back from the dead, in plain sight. We don't exactly have procedure for dealing with demigods."

"Which I'm not", I say. "But the scuttlebutt is true, I healed someone of a bitten off head by regrowing it, and then stitched their soul back on. Partly that's me being nice, partly that's me pushing my self-assigned mission."

"Which would be what?", asks General Miller. His voice is kinda low and growly.

"Help the humans, but specifically by teaching them that souls matter, that they're real, and that they need to start paying attention to them, because they have enemies that they can't see."

That definitely gets curious looks. "You don't consider yourself human?"

"Human-aligned, but most of my nature is great old one now. I'm more outside the universe than in, but this is still my home."


	107. Part 107

# # Part one hundred and seven

Mr Wilson sighs, frowns. "Miss Parallel, we've been briefed for this assignment. So we know what great old ones are. And I worried that what I'd see when I met you, is what I do see here, a kid who's been messing with some very dangerous entities and gained a whole heap of power, and thinks she's on a mission to save the world. Thinks she's become one of them, even. Kid, they aren't our friends. They don't want to save the world, they want to eat it. They're playing you like a fish."

How best to approach this, hmm. "Some want to eat it, yeah. Some hate humanity, some are predators that find you tasty. Some are neutral things. A couple on the friendly side, and three, that I know of, outright fighting for humans. In a war most of you don't even know is being fought."

"One of which is you?" It sounds like he's humouring me.

"Me, Kellith, and Gothmog."

"Yes, we know the Kellith is based here too. She's regarded by those in the know as sufficiently contained. You are not."

"And if I'm not contained, what's stopping me running riot? You know what I'm capable of."

He sighs. "Honestly, answering that question is rather high on our list of priorities."

"You're overlooking the simple answer, Mr Wilson", I say. "I don't choose to and I don't want to. I want to help, not harm. Both my ethics and my goals constrain me. And those ethics run right through me. All the way from the human level you're talking to, to the great old one level underneath."

General Miller says, "Miss Parallel, you spoke a few moments ago about what you consider your mission. Perhaps you can elaborate on that? It might help us understand your intentions."

So for the next few minutes I talk them through my perspective on souls and why humanity needs to start putting attention there. They know about GOOs, but don't seem to know about the war, so I talk about that too. And I give them both links, as a gesture of goodwill, and as an example of the importance of the soul level. Mrs Carson, who knows this stuff already, quietly makes us coffee while we talk. Then to top it off, I let them know about Sara's and my planned conference.

"Wait, off world?" Mr Wilson sounds confused. "I don't get what you mean by that."

"Off world, in Gothmog's personal realm. It's basically a slice of astral space that's under his personal control. The conference is going to be inside." I look over to the Head. "Mrs Carson can confirm, she's been there, and seen the preparations."

Everyone looks at her, and she nods. "It was an interesting day. Yes, I've been there, and I've met Gothmog. I'm told the buildings there used to be smaller, but now they sprawl over what looks like miles. I imagine it will make quite a stir."

"So you're just going to open a gate to this place from where?" Mr Wilson, sounding worried.

"Seattle", I say.

Mr Wilson shakes his head. "Do you have any idea how that's going to go down? If I understand it right, you're literally opening a hell-gate. In a major city. There will absolutely be riots. There will be denunciations. There will be politicians itching to either launch an invasion or nuke you from orbit."

I shake my head. "When they see it, that stuff will go away, it's a nice but harmless place that feels like a vast hacienda in a slightly alien version of tropical south America. And Gothmog looks like a regular, charming human man, when he wants to. Also the whole idea is that we're inviting all the religions. So they're hardly going to think they're in hell, when the Pope's there, are they? Even if they kinda-sorta technically are. But it's still not *the* hell, you know? It's just Gothmog's personal playroom."

Mrs Carson says, "A nuance I can guarantee will be lost on some. You will definitely have to deal with terrorists and fanatics, you do realise that?"

I nod. "I think as a group, we can handle that."

The General stands. "Alright, I think we had better report our findings, there's others beside ourselves who will need to weigh in on this before we can proceed further. Ladies, thank you for your time. Miss Parallel, it has been a pleasure meeting you."

The two gentlemen shake hands with the Head, I bow to them, and they take their leave. "You stay behind, please", Mrs Carson says to me, so I drop back into my seat once they're gone.

She smiles. "First, thank you for that. That was a difficult conversation and I expect there's more of them to come, but I think you've convinced those two in particular that you aren't about to try and take over the world."

I sigh. "Thanks, ma'am. Yeah, I knew I'd end up confronting the government sooner or later, and this business with Paige has rushed it. Those weren't their real names, were they?" I'd done a little googling in the background. The only General Miller I found was a black guy. And those two names are right up at the top of the list of common surnames.

She nods. "The government wishes its negotiations to be deniable, I think. Which we can both live with. And so, on to an unrelated matter, and the reason I kept you behind. You didn't think I'd forgotten about you and the business with Tansy, did you?"

I wince. "No ma'am. I don't think you're the forgetful type at all."

She nods. "You would be correct, I was just busy all day. I haven't decided what to do about Tansy yet, that's a bit of a complicated situation because of her clear change of heart, which I want to encourage. You on the other hand, instigated hacking of school systems in a fit of anger, and then hid two rapists and a slaver, if only for one evening. That you did both in defence of your friend only lightens the guilt a little. And so. You having taken responsibility for Tansy, in your way, you'll share her existing punishment. I'm making you deputy student assistant to Elyzia Grimes. And the care of those three little nuisances who I am informed, you helped to power up, will be at least partly your problem now."

Ah, interesting. "Thank you ma'am. Although I think Miss Grimes isn't exactly a fan of mine."

"Perhaps both of you will have lessons to learn. Alright, I will see you at the hearing tomorrow, if not before."

"Yes ma'am." I know a dismissal when I hear one, so I bow, and leave. Heh, so me and Grimes are stuck with one another? That might be interesting. You have to admire how twisty-minded the Head can get sometimes.

While I'm over there talking to the Feds, at the same time I'm outside with the maintenance crew helping refit some pipes that got busted by ice. "Some kid leaves a tap running, it drips down the drain and they don't think anything of it. Until the ice blocks the pipe, their toilets start flushing backwards, and then it's suddenly top of everyone's priorities. Thankfully we can get a hydrokinetic to clear the blockage out without having to blowtorch the whole thing. But even so, pipe's still cracked, and weakened where it isn't, so it'll all have to come off." Morrie waves at the pipe, which does look like it's seen better days.

I peer at it. "Lemme guess, we take it out, replace it with one just like it. No fancy devisor insulated stuff, despite living in the ass end of winter up here."

"It's just plumbing", Morrie shrugs. "It breaks, we can fix it, that's the theory. The practise is us out here freezing our tits off."

I shrug. "I'm fine with cold. So's Jinn. So we do we have to do?"

What we have to do ends up mostly being holding things in place while Stan and Morrie cut the old pipe off with an acetylene torch, and then holding the new pieces aligned while they're welded and the join cools. Meanwhile they talk, stories of the famous cave. Trying to scare me, perhaps. Supposedly there was this guy who went past the do not cross line, just poked his gun in, but the whatever it is that lives there gave a yank and he stumbled in. By the time he got his balance he was across the line.

"What actually happened to him?" When I read it, the story never said. Even my new eidetic memory doesn't help there.

Morrie shrugs. "We got this at second hand, you know, from guys who'd been there, but it wasn't us. This was back in the early 70s. But the best I was ever able to get out of any them was that he deflated, you know, like a balloon, like the juice was sucked out of him, and screaming all the while. Dried him into a husk, and they couldn't do a thing about it except watch. Bullets won't cross the line, and flame doesn't burn hot over there, so they couldn't even put him out of his misery. When they came back next visit, the husk wasn't there. But old Roy was, fresh as a daisy, but he didn't move right and he didn't smell right, he wouldn't say anything, and he tried to go for them. So they blasted him into meat confetti."

Stan smirks, "You think this was the end of it? You think wrong. They go back the next time, hello Roy again. Boom-boom, goodbye Roy. And the next time after that? Hello Roy. Six years, before he stopped coming, although he never tried to leave the tunnel. Who knows, maybe when you go down this weekend, you meet Roy, hmm?"

"I kind of hope I do", I say. "If he comes, hold your fire, let me touch him. I think I can cut him loose from that thing's control. Or at least end his pain." At this point I'd lay odds there isn't enough of his soul to fit in a thimble. But worst case I can scatter it like I did with Darrow.

That gets me weird looks. Morrie says, "Kid, it's gonna be a fair match, who's spookier, you or that damned tunnel."

"Me, I think", I say. "But I'm less experienced, so I'm not sure about outright clearing it this time. But maybe. We'll see how it goes. I should be able to tell more when I'm there. And I'll research beforehand."

"You still wear explosive vest. No arguments." Stan sounds serious. "And no poking at stuff. Just because you're spooky, no stupid risks, hmm? Or else you won't be asked to come. Is dangerous down there."

"If I poke at stuff, it will be with sorcery, not fingers. I want to take a look at those critters I heard about, the diamond shaped ones that jump."

"And when you're looking at them, they're look right back at you." Morrie doesn't sound happy about it. "This is why we don't let the brain boys down. They wanna peek and poke, they wanna take samples. That stuff, you don't wanna look at it or understand it, you just wanna kill it. Fire does for them and that's all you need to know about it."

Jinn nods. "When I was down there, those things didn't have a normal life glow. They had this weird nasty one and it spread out around them. Outside the actual body like a nasty sick cloud, and it was nothing I wanted to be near. And I'm usually invulnerable when I'm Jinn. If I was you, I wouldn't even get a tentacle close to them."

I kind of wonder if I can do something about them properly, and shore up the leaking seal even if I don't yet feel up for arm wrestling with the beast behind it. But that's something I won't know until I get there, so for now I just shrug and say "I promise I'll be careful."


	108. Part 108

# # Part one hundred and eight

It doesn't take long after Miss Dennon's interview is over for me to realise that tailored clothes don't fit any more if you instantaneously add two cup sizes. Shades of Halloween costume, slutty schoolgirl bursting out of her straining blouse, yikes. Giving that up for now, I remake a body in the old size and abandon the edited one. My friends and I can still have a talk about whether I should do any edits, without a need for the illustrated show-and-tell. While other me is going to see what the Head wants, I make my way over towards Sara's room.

A weird twinge of sneakiness on my life sense catches my attention as I enter the tunnel, and puts me on alert, although nothing is obviously wrong. As I walk, I'm pondering whether I need to sharpen up my psychic side, because that's currently my biggest open weakness. I can pick up some stuff on life sense, but it isn't enough to tell apart, say, taking an up-skirt photo, from setting up an ambush. It's more like, what instinctive mode they're in. Sara might have ideas how I can improve that. I'm pretty sure it's in my potential arsenal now, as a GOO.

Oh hey, it was an ambush. Well, a one guy ambush anyhow, the big and built kind, who won't get out of my way. I recognise him as one of the capes, code name Iron Star. We haven't met before, but I've seen him in Crystal Hall. He's looking down at me like he's deciding whether to scrape me off his shoe, or just throw away the shoe. "Why are you in this school?"

"Other than the fact I happened to manifest, teleport and land myself here with no memories, got adopted here, all my friends are here and I like it here?"

"No, why are you, an inhuman alien thing, allowed to be in this school?"

"Dunno, I think they have a policy to let in friendly inhuman alien things. Perhaps it helps them keep an eye on us? That and I'm a mutant and it's a school for mutants." Idiot.

"What you are is unwelcome. I, and the people who asked me to pass this message, don't want you here. We don't want your influence messing with our heads. We don't like being ankle deep in faggots and dykes all of a sudden."

"You mean, you liked it better when they were all scared into the closet? Unfortunate for you then, because Poe isn't going back. And that wasn't even me, the whole cottage decided. Nor is influence going anywhere, that's already set in stone. Being near me just speeds it up."

"I saw what you did to Tansy. Don't tell me your influence doesn't create dykes when you turned her into one."

"She always liked girls. She just decided to be honest about it. You want to see what influence does, look to her. Honesty with yourself seems to be a component of it. So does conscience. Is yours pricking you? Is that what's behind all this bull and bluster?"

"None of your business", looks like I hit him where he's sore. "The message is this. Leave the school. Take your dirty influence with you. You have until the weekend. I've heard all sorts of stories about how badass you are, but can you handle an entire school deciding to fuck with you?"

"I think you overestimate your support. But we'll see, won't we?"

"I suppose we will", he says, grimly. And finally, gets out of my way.

A few steps down the branch tunnel to Hawthorne, and I run into Caitlin leaning against the wall. "Trouble with our noble knight there?"

"He wanted to tell me that my spooky ass isn't welcome, and this school ain't big enough for the both of us, or cliched homophobic words to that effect."

She nods. "Which nobody who matters cares about. Leaving that idiot aside, I've got time now, if you want to show me that cannon of yours? I was hoping to catch you on your way back to your usual debauchery."

Wasn't what I had planned, but there's no reason that can't wait. "Sure, lead on."

By the time dinner rolls around, I'm the proud owner of a certified legal 'manifestation weapon' which will go on my MID. The fact I'm flawlessly accurate with the thing and capable of vanishing a bullet in flight before it hits an unwanted target does help. Rules are, only using it on ranges or where otherwise cleared by instructors. Keeping the power safely down below 'ship mounted railgun'. And the rule of never pointing it at anyone I don't plan to kill still applies, even if it doesn't have a physical barrel. Suits me, murdering students is not on my to-do list.

Caitlin also wants me to try out my abilities in the sims. I'm not so sure of that. Life sorcery doesn't work on robots, it wouldn't be a good simulation. And would the digital sims be able to cover all my abilities? But I suppose maybe, since it seems to work for everyone else. It might be a little fun, to really cut loose, too. I told her it couldn't hurt to try. Although now do I need to get a sim-suit? I'll talk to Ayla about that, he's the authority.

Dinner brings a surprise. A new kid in Poe, she isn't sitting at the Kimba table, but she stands out from the crowd. White hair, white skin, pointy nails. She's not in the school uniform yet, and her black turtle-neck looks expensive. Kind of a budget Sara clone, except that she reads as human to my life sense.

"Vamp", explains Toni, sounding disgusted. "We fought her twice. Necromancer's gang. Now they put her on our floor."

"She turned state's evidence", Nikki points out. "She was forced into the gang, too." It sounds like this to-and-fro has been running for awhile.

"Anyhow, when you smashed the Necromancer's gang, they picked her up", Toni says. "And now she's got a new single next to yours. You're lucky Feral wanted to share, or you'd have got her for a roomie. Which would be bad."

"Is she mad at me for killing her boss?"

"Nah, probably the opposite. They weren't exactly the best of buddies, from the sounds of it. But boy does she have an attitude. And yes", she interrupts Nikki who was trying to cut through, "she probably picked it up hanging with villains. And no, I won't cut her any slack."

Ayla says, "We got the introduction when they brought her in just before dinner. Along with the tragic backstory. She was forced into Darrow's gang with a false murder charge that he set up, and she's been through some hard times. She's been making a living hypnotising rich people into paying her expenses, by making them think they had sex. She's got a bright brain, and a bit of taste, but the morals of an alley cat, a dirty mouth, and a streak of overblown ham acting a mile wide."

"More than once, onee-san had to cover my ears", Jade agrees. "She's all sex this and sex that, and well, maybe that's more your thing than mine but it shouldn't just be thrown around."

Billie adds, "She's manipulative, selfish, and uses her looks for control. She's a physical hermaphrodite, and loud about it. Happy to play male or female, but it doesn't feel genuine. Like, you can tell Peeper means it when he leers at you. Not her. She's also an energy drainer, and she can throw lust aura or darkness at you. Not that I imagine that would slow you down much."

"Probably not", I agree. "Well, I'll see how I get along with her, but it kinda feels like you all decided not to like her?"

"We'll give her a chance", says Hank, his usual ultra-reasonable self. "But it's going to take work on her side."

"Work she's going to have to want to do", Ayla agrees. Implying he thinks that isn't remotely likely.

"We should work at being nice, too", Nikki insists, looking frustrated. "You aren't empaths, I am. The surface razzle-dazzle was genuine, but the pain underneath it was raw."

"I don't see what we can do about it, though", Toni complains. "Do we just sit there and take her nonsense? She'll walk right over us and learn nothing."

"We set boundaries, and we're polite and firm about them", Nikki says. "We don't try and scare her and we don't give her the cold shoulder, but if she wants to hang with any of us, it's on our terms."

"Like for example, no turning the air blue", Billie agrees. "I'd tell her to leave off the fake flirting, but I doubt she knows how. I think she's a little afraid of us, and that's how she covers it up."

"It's still desperately annoying", Ayla makes a face. "If she can turn it down a notch or ten, that would be very appreciated. At least none of us has to room with her."

There's general agreement with that. As the topic drifts to my ideas about trying out being more feminine, I decide to make a copy and head over to find a seat next to the newest Poesie.

"Hi, neighbour, I have the room next to yours in Poe. Sorry I missed your intro. I'm Jules, codename Parallel."

"You didn't miss much, I think I fell flat with the audience. Vamp, alias Alex O'Brien, also sometimes Abby Carfax." She takes a look at me. "Oh hey, another member of the white hair, red eyes club. Well, pink eyes. That glow. Hmm, where do I remember hearing about you... wait, are you *that* Parallel, the one who killed my old boss?"

"The same."

"Well shit. Tell me he's really, permanently dead, please, pretty please with a cherry on?"

"I did kinda shred his soul. That's all the way permanent, so yeah."

"That is simultaneously terrifying and also intensely reassuring. My saviour! I owe you a big one. Want to take it out in sex?"

I have to laugh, the offer is so brazen. "I don't know you that well yet, which is not a no, it's more like a not yet. The Kimbas might be nuns, but I'm the bridge between them and Sara's Pack, who are definitely not. I think you met Sara once, you fought her. She's over there, redhead, goth look. You might know her as Carmilla."

Sara is waving with a smile. Vamp looks, blinks, waves back. "She looked different then. I guess, no hard feelings?"

"I'm over there too. I already told her the backstory I got from the Kimbas. No hard feelings."

"Wait, you what?" She does a double take, looks at me sitting beside Sara, at me on the Kimba table, at me over here. "How many of you are there?"

"Messy question. The answer is all of one, thousands, and five. One identity, thousands of selves, five bodies, two of which aren't anywhere near here. But I can make or delete them on a whim."

"They're all you?"

I make another body and sit on the other side of her, "All of me are me", we say in perfect sync.

"Ooh kay, creeped out now. Do you do that horror twins act a lot?"

I make the new copy vanish. "Nope, mostly I have bodies in different places so I can be doing more than one thing at once."

"Or more than one person."

"That has been known to happen."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Sara and Paige - she's the cute catgirl with the blue glow - for example." Stepping around mention of Petra.

"You're into girls?"

"I've only been attracted to girls so far, but I'm intersexed, and so are some of the people I play with."

"Well, damn, darling. I think we are going to get along beautifully."


	109. Part 109

# # Part one hundred and nine

Vamp's clearly anxious as she delays stepping into Sara's room. But I can see her steel herself, and she pushes the door open. To be stopped short for a moment by awe. "Oh my, I like the decor. Shades of brides of Dracula." Then catching sight of Sara being her usual languidly seductive self on the bed, she gulps. "Um, hi."

"Cat got your tongue?" Sara's grin is teasing, and my eidetic memory flicks back to the last time the two met - in text form, since I wasn't there but did read it. There speaks the cat who got her tongue, and more.

"No hard feelings?", Vamp offers.

"None. I know you were under coercion. Also I did win." Sara smirks. "You were delicious dear. But you're safe from me here."

"Oh dear, I had rather hoped not to be", Vamp, putting on a smirk and getting a bit of her flirt back.

"Well, well. That can be arranged, darling. Take a seat, do." Sara pats the bed beside her, and Vamp jumps up and sits, clearly determined not to be overawed. "But you must be careful, dear. You've entered a place that's very dangerous to you."

"Oh?" Vamp looks around curiously, at the room and the group of us. "I don't see it. I mean, amazing place but..."

"Not this room, darling, this school. Since this last Saturday, fraternization, as they call it, is no longer forbidden. However, the Head promises to be fierce about consent. Which includes powers, dear. And 'but I only made them think I did it' would be the opposite of an excuse. And last I tasted you, lovely, you were a physical virgin."

That leaves Vamp blinking. "Um. I flirt, but..."

"You might find people saying yes, dear. You will have to decide what to do about that. Tricking them would be a very unwise move. I recommend saying thank you but no, if that's what you mean."

Vamp is clearly enough taken aback it takes her a moment to get her response in order. "I... see. Okay I am so far on the back foot I'm practically prone. So let me just say that if I mean it I'll say so, and otherwise you can just take my flirting as flirting, for now?"

"Excellent, I love flirting." Sara grins. "I'm a literal lust demon, so play of that kind is right up my alley. Of course, so are other sorts of play, if you're into that. And several of the people here both flirt, and play in other ways with me and with each other. Up to you if you want to be around that, some of us prefer not, and they just leave the room when things get that way inclined."

Vamp nods. "Yeah. I guess I've got some thinking to do." She pauses then a question clearly hits her, "how in the hell do you get a school that outright allows teens to fuck?"

"An excellent question, but it needs to be answered in the form of a long story. Which you might like to hear anyhow, as it explains a lot that's going on."

"Alright, I'm interested, hit me."

"And so. One fine day in the middle of the night, a certain Jules of your recent acquaintance fell out of a hole in the sky, landed in a snowdrift, caught fire and died. You'd think the story was over, but it's not, for two reasons. One, I happened to be going for a walk in that part of the woods, and I found her. And two, she's one of the strongest regenerators I've ever met. She died, and she came back. And I carried her to the school's hospital to recover."

While Sara's spinning a tale, over in Poe I'm sat in Nikki's chair being fussed over with sticky substances. And also leaning against the wall, watching the process.

"Normally with makeup, you'd go foundation, then setting powder, then blush, to even out the skin tones, hide any blemishes, and then return a bit of lively glow. Baseline skin needs that, we exemplars usually don't. So unless you're being graded, those steps can be left off." Nikki's enjoying lecturing. Me, I'm holding very still, so as to be a good canvas. "Sometimes we have naturally long lashes, sometimes we need a bit of mascara to darken and lengthen them."

"I can grow mine out if I want them longer."

"Quite so. But none of us come with ready made eyeliner, eyeshadow or lipstick. So those, you will still need to apply. Please try not to blink."

It is in fact possible to switch off my instinctive urgency to blink away the little brush drawing a line of goop along my eyelashes. But it's still a very weird feeling.

"I tried to learn this stuff before, but I wasn't any good."

"I suspect you were fighting yourself. Believe me, I know that feeling." Nikki has painted a thin line along the base of the lashes on both sides. "I didn't want to learn this, at first. My mother made me do it because she said I'd need to know how, to be a girl. Which at the time, I didn't want to be."

"I wanted, but my body then wasn't cooperating. And I was - perhaps I still am - full of negative ideas, too."

"Mhm, girls have cooties, we learned it, and it's hard to shake it. I believe I'm beginning to, but it has taken me months of kicking. This is just a simple line eyeliner, I'll show you wings another day. And now we give that a moment to dry, and move on to the eyeshadow."

Over in Sara's room, Vamp is asking, "so you just started her transforming into the same thing you are, one of these 'great old one' things, on a whim?"

Sara shakes her head. "I was intimately in her mind, dear. I knew she wanted it. And indeed, she ran with it. With my help it melded with her mutant power, and she gained multiple parallel minds, and then multiple bodies. And then, much faster than I had expected, a week to the day after her arrival, she was ready to hatch."

"That sounds a little disturbing. Like a kind of bug."

"It's the moment one goes from a human with potential, to a great old one with memories of being human. Mine was... disturbing, but hers was beautiful. And here we get to the tipping point in the story, because she did something that I don't think has been done before. When I hatched, I was coming into a power that had long been defined. When she did, she was defining something wholly new. And she saw an opportunity and grasped it. You see, life has laws, and she had read them, and seen the gaping hole in them for any kindness, or goodness, or guarantee that value would be preserved by an uncaring universe. And she went and defined herself into that hole, becoming a manifestation and embodiment of a new life law. And in so doing she changed the whole universe, from its beginning to its end, and from here to the edge of beyond. And one small part of that change, was that humanity was changed too."

"I don't feel changed", Vamp sounds skeptical.

"Give it time, dear. We first noticed it as an influence she has on people who are near and dear to her. Hence we've come to call it 'influence' for short. But we later learned that is just the effect of being near the law's physical embodiment, pulling us faster than the rest of humanity. Everyone's changing, even so. As you've just arrived here, you're the least affected. Tansy here is the opposite, she's been pulled all the way to the end of the process. The rest of us, are some way down the slope and still sliding. You may have noticed changes in conscience, a need to be honest?"

"A... little maybe", Vamp sighs. "It's hard to tell. I was already planning to make a clean breast of everything, and then try and poor-me my way to avoiding jail."

Sara nods. "Other effects include a reduced interest in preserving taboos, and an increased willingness to openly express love, in all the ways. Our Headmistress knows what's up, and where it's going, and she had the foresight to switch the no-fucking rule to an instruction to keep it consensual, keep it private, and use contraception. That happened last Saturday, after Jules had told the whole school what was up with a broadcast on WARS, the school's radio station."

"And so I'm in a school that lets kids have basically open sex, and it's all Jules's fault, and", she looks at me, "I'm not sure whether to kiss you or punch you. Or have an existential crisis. You're implying that it's a slope everyone will eventually be pulled all the way down? Society is going to collectively shit the bed."

"For values of eventually that we don't know yet, yes", I agree. "But reports I'm getting from ARC suggest it's moving fast. People are already starting to turn themselves in at cop shops for murders and rapes they got away with. That's inside a week and a half."

Vamp looks at me. "So I'm near you now, I get changed faster?"

"By some unknown multiple, yes", I agree. "Unless you get like Tansy and say, fuck it, drag me all the way to done. That can be arranged too, although I ought to hold off for a bit at least, since I've got a disciplinary hearing tomorrow about that one."

"Count me out on that, until I get a feel for where I'll be going", Vamp nods. "Honesty, conscience, taboos, love... they're strangely scattered effects."

Sara says, "Symbiosis, instead of parasitism. All life has been changed to favour mutual benefit over competition, at all levels. The selfish gene is no longer selfish. And instincts founded in the old world, are shifting to fit the new."

"Ah." Vamp lies back on the bed, with a sigh. "That sounds nice, in abstract. And terrifying personally. There's a lot that I've lived through that I'm not in the least ready to be honest about."

I say, "If they haven't yet referred you to the mental health facilities here, get them to. I'm with Doc Bellows, he's nice. You aren't alone here in having had traumatic experiences. I could tell you about the time I got my brain kidnapped in a jar, and destroyed an alien spaceship in revenge."

"I'd say you were shitting me, but that sounds disturbingly familiar." Vamp winces. "My boss ranted up a storm. That was you?"

I nod.

"Well wrap me in latex and use me for a dildo. No wonder he was pacing the floor to fuck you up."

"His mistake. I leave villains alone if they leave me alone."

"He came for you, and you GOOed him."

"He accidentally gave me a link to his soul, which by the way was the most disgusting conglomeration of forced melds and dark sorcery I've ever seen. And I brought big me up, and we tore it down to the irreducible atomic bits, and they scattered across the universe. He's literally as destroyed as it's possible to get."

"And good riddance to him. It's weird to have that threat just lifted, you know? I was expecting to spend my life looking over my shoulder for a familiar face. And now... well, if anyone comes after me, it won't be him. Or Nightgaunt or Lycanthros either. Did you destroy their souls too?"

"Nah, just killed them. I got the jump on them with a lightsaber."

"Odd. They're experienced mercenaries, you'd think they wouldn't miss a weapon like that."

"I didn't have it, until I did." I demonstrate: empty hand, hand with lightsaber, hissing purple blade.

"Ah."


	110. Part 110

# # Part one hundred and ten

It was an interesting evening's chat with Vamp. We shared a few of our stories, she shared some of hers, but as always happens, the time rolled around to be heading back to Poe. I'm already over there, of course, but I decided to walk Vamp back just as a friendship thing.

Good thing too, because as soon as we step out into the tunnel, we're blocked by a blonde girl in a plain white full-face mask and an attitude. "Ha! I thought I recognised you. And it figures that you would go to ground here, in the biggest nest of monsters and depravity on campus. Did you honestly think that you could just come here, to this school, after what you did to me?"

Codename, Pucelle, I think? Not somebody I've personally dealt with before. She's speaking to Vamp, though, not me. Evidently I categorize under 'monsters'.

"So far the monsters have been nice to me, sweetheart. And who are you?"

"I'm the girl that you made a fool of, and left for dead!"

"And? More specific please. That's a long list and I don't care to waste an hour guessing."

Pucelle grits her teeth. "In Boston! At the Indian Legation! I held off you, the Necromancer and his other thug, while the others got away!"

"Oh, you're the Pillsbury Dough-girl! I didn't recognize you without the parka!" She looks to me. "Anyway, there's Bonehead and Nightgaunt, and they've got the three other girls dead-bang, and Poppin' Fresh here is going 'whaddew I do now?' That was not in the script that I was using, so I improvised, and distracted Nightgaunt enough for the blue-fire chick to turn the situation around. Like anyone sensible, she, the silver girl and the gadget-girl got the fuck out of there, but the One Woman Holding Action here decides to hold Darrow and McKinnon and me back all by herself."

"How is she not dead?" None of that crew struck me as the sort to be gentle to minors. Or minor nuisances.

"She had the luck of having yours truly on her side, all unknowing. I drained her and tossed her aside, and they didn't waste any more time."

"You're trying to make it sound like you were the hero, when you attacked me!" Pucelle is going a shade of furious red.

"All that I’m saying is that if I hadn't stepped in, your silvery buddy would be Darrow’s slave, and the rest of you would be dead or worse, 'cause he didn't have any use for you."

"What's worse than dead?"

That I can answer. "Having your soul ripped out and grafted on to his as spare parts." Which turns her suddenly pale.

Vamp backs that up by saying, "I've seen him do it. It's a memory I'd rather not relive. So perhaps you could take your self-righteous self somewhere else?"

"The one who should be going somewhere else is you, you kidnapping villain!" She pulls something cylindrical from her belt. "As Jehanne La Pucelle, Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orleans, the Saviour of France, bore her sacred blade into battle, so do I bear this sword of holy light against you, foul creature of darkness!"

And it's a lightsaber, as I half-guessed. The theatricality of its blue light and movie-accurate humming is rather spoiled by the hot plasma hiss and purple glare of my saber lighting up too, in a low guard, not attacking yet.

I say, "My blade can cut security armour plate, and I've killed with it. Are you sure you want to start this?" Because if she makes a cut for either of us, she's going to lose that arm, minimum. I can't chance the risk that saber is real.

I don't think she was counting on a stand-off. "Argh! I cannot imagine how the Head let either of you in to this school!" But she does switch off her blade, and I let mine go out too. Although I keep it in hand as a reminder.

"Then maybe you ought to trust her a bit more", I say. "You came charging in here, without a clue as to her reasoning or ours, and waving a lit saber in our faces. You are alive and intact because I'm patient. Nobody would have faulted me for taking your arm straight off. You do not draw a deadly weapon unless you intend to kill!"

"I am willing to die for what is right." It's a petulant response and I have no time for it.

"You would have died for exactly nothing. Vamp is not the villain you make her out to be, and I'm not the monster. You'd have got yourself killed over a misunderstanding you could have resolved with five minutes of civil conversation. Now get out of my face before I call Caitlin down on you for pitiful weapons discipline."

That threat bites home - I've half a mind to drop a word with Caitlin anyway, because that really was an unsafe situation. But it's enough to send Pucelle angrily storming off.

"My saviour!" Vamp is making fluttery eyes at me and it's enough to set me off giggling and defuse the tension.

I let the saber vanish and give her a hug. "Sorry you had to run into that."

"Nah, After the Kimbas, I half expected it. There's probably several kids here I've met before. It might take a while until they come around to realizing my wonderfulness."

"So it might", I agree. "So, not to change the subject but I was meaning to tell you about this thing called links..." It's a digression and it's not, because that foolishness brought home to me that I don't have a connection to her yet, or a snapshot. She can have the whole up-front truth about what I can do with it, and make an informed decision if she wants it, because after being around Darrow, I can imagine she's got reason to fear people who can mess about with souls.

By the time we reach Poe, Vamp is on the links, and I have a snapshot. She's a little giddy at the thought of immortality. I'm humbled at her willingness to trust.

As we reach our corridor, I steer us towards Nikki's room, "We're having a kinda council of war about the Pucelle incident, and others. You'll want to be in on this, I think. I'm already in there, you can go right in."

"Yes, boss", She's teasing, and also not. I get the feeling she's attached on to me a bit - I did save her twice, I suppose.

I vanish the body outside the room, and then get to see the astonished look on her face as she comes in to Nikki's room where the rest of us are. "Wow, nice decor. How in the hell do you get all these flowers to grow inside like this, and why do they let you?"

"Welcome, come in", Nikki grins. "Jules managed to um, kind of wake Poe up a bit. Ask nicely, and it'll shape your room how you want. The school has decided to leave the uncanny stuff well enough alone, I think."

"Huh, neat... oh, nice lewk!" She's caught sight of me, all done up with makeup, and wearing a copy of the halter neck dress I tried on earlier. "Damn girl, you clean up fine!"

"Thanks", I have to grin, it's not a lie. I do look pretty hot. "Nikki's work. It's not what we're here about though. Seems like Pucelle's saber isn't real?"

"It's real enough" Jade says, "But it's underpowered. She's not a deviser, so she's powering it with some kind of energiser effect, that's the gossip I heard. It hurts if you get hit, but it doesn't do too much damage."

"It's a relief to hear I wasn't in any danger of being sliced into Vamp-sashimi", Vamp says. "And it makes her a complete idiot for drawing down on us with a toy. From what I gather, yours cuts?" She looks at me, I nod.

Ayla butts in. "The thing we're here to discuss isn't her idiocy. Everybody knows several of the self-proclaimed heroic types here run to 'pure of heart, dumb of ass'. It's the fact that they seem to be all trying it on at once. Her, and Jules got threatened by Iron Star earlier, we've all had our rude encounters with this 'committee to restore normality', I've been threatened, Toni got challenged, when we stopped to compare notes we realised it's far beyond normal. And quite a bit of it is coming from the self-proclaimed capes rather than the regular bullies."

Toni says, "I don't mind a challenge, but it looks like the smug but homophobic types are trying to push everyone back into the closet. What's weird though, is it doesn't feel like a joined up campaign, and yet they're all getting in on it."

I grimace at a nasty thought. "What if it's influence?"

"Shouldn't influence make people less prejudiced?", Billie asks.

"Yeah, but that's eventually. Right now, it's probably just making their consciences hard to live with", I explain. "They're projecting."

Ayla nods, "That makes a dark kind of sense. If that's true, what can we do about it?"

"Hit them?" offers Vamp.

Which gets a head shake from Ayla. "That shuts them up for the moment but it doesn't change their minds, and that's if you win. Also if we aren't careful, it could degenerate into what the school considers fighting, rather than bullying. We've already done enough detention for that. They tend to treat that as a 'both sides' thing."

"Well, if violence is out, how about we defeat them with fabulousness?" Vamp gives a toothy grin. "We could have a massive pride parade. Dress up to the nines. Tell them we're going nowhere."

"It's the middle of winter, and not everyone can ignore the cold", Nikki points out. "I think parades are out, but some sort of indoor Pride thing could definitely work. But it has to be all of us, not just some of us. Or at least lots."

"Some sort of fashion show?", Toni says.

"Oh I like it, I like it!" Vamp grins. "Show off our favourite looks, put the bullies in their place, strut on the catwalk, I think this has great potential!"

"I like it too", I agree. "If it's on short notice, it could be just improvised looks, we can buy in flags for capes and stuff, it's not like a proper show where people have been preparing for months, more of just playing around, borrowing props, rainbow feather boas, stuff like that."

"Ask Mrs Horton to call another Poe assembly in the morning, and we can tell everyone and see if they agree", Chou offers. "Then we could put it on for the weekend, that gives us enough time."

"I'll send Jinn to go ask her now, if we're agreed?", Jade offers, which gets nods from all around. So off she goes in cabbit form to set things up.

After that we wander back to our rooms, and I tell Vamp goodnight and head into mine. I'm getting the feeling she'll be accepted as at least an outside ally of the Kimbas, and that's nice. They were happy enough to run with her idea. Even if I doubt Ayla will ever grow fond of her attitude. Ah well.

Getting all of that sticky stuff off my face would be almost as much trouble as putting it on, if I had to do it the hard way. Luckily I don't, I make a new body in pyjamas and take one last look at Nikki's artistry before vanishing the whole thing. Colour chromatophores, for my face at least, definitely go on the to-do list. Along with a few other physical tweaks I've been thinking of adding. I'll let big me put those in overnight.


	111. Part 111

# # Part one hundred and eleven

****18th January, 2007, Poe, early morning****

I'm dreaming; I know I'm dreaming but I decide not to interrupt it. I'm walking barefoot over a barren plain of shattered flint, little sharp chips that cut my feet, although it doesn't hurt. I'm leaving red footprints, the only moisture in all this featureless dry expanse. Suddenly a wind whips up, rushing, whirling around me, blowing the flint shards into the air and they cut like little knives, my blood is spraying out into the wind and whirling around me, and where it touches ground, snow-flowers push up and blossom. I'm not covering myself or hiding, but rather, stretching out my arms to touch the wind. Sara steps into the whirlwind around me and she's whirling with it, dancing, getting splattered with red and tasting the blood on the air with her long tongue and she hugs me and whispers, "the blood is the life, don'cha know?", as green things rustle and thrust up through the ground around us, and replace the cutting wind with the scent of flowers.

I say to her, "I can't find the river, it's deep underneath, I can't hear it."

"The river is always in here", she says, tapping my chest over the heart. "It never stops flowing, and if you listen closely, you'll hear it."

"It's too deep down." We're walking down stone steps into darkness. Somewhere below, there's the sound of a rushing river, that has a pulsing, beating quality to it.

"You need to go further into the darkness, sweetie. But you're going the right way. Try and find your own song."

I'm humming something as I step downward, the beat of my feat echoing the beat of the rushing river. And there's something really nostalgic and recognisable about the song, although I don't think I've heard it before. Sara joins in, she's humming a different tune, but the two harmonise together. An amused thought occurs, and suddenly we're marching hand in hand in the midst of a line of Disney dwarves with picks, and there are faceted gems poking out of the stone walls.

"It's off to work we go", Sara grins, she's dressed as Snow White and making the puff-sleeved dress look good. "Soon, dear. I understand your urgency. I can feel things building to a climax too. Trust the process, and trust me."

I nod, because I do trust her completely, and the dream ends with a snatch of song that slips through my fingers as I grasp at it.

Focused outside the dream now, I can examine it. Find my own song, hmm? That might be a way to deepen my connection to my GOO side, which I've been feeling I need. I don't try to chase the song fragment from the dream yet, but it feels like a place to start, later.

An email comes in. Cecilia, she can make a dress, but wants me in to decide on colours and details of the look. I fire off an exeat request for that. I should be able to direct jump it, I won't need a chaperone. I reply to Cecilia, saying that I'll be there by teleport - if the school lets me, but I don't expect problems. I'll call before I pop over, to make sure she isn't busy. Come to think of it, I should probably give her a link, too.

Another from Miss Grimes, she wants me over in Kirby at half five am. That's a bit earlier than I normally get up, but no serious problem. I set a mental alarm.

Another from Doc Hewley. I don't have any vulnerabilities on my MID and someone has mentioned the orichalcum sword incident to him, he wants me to come in for testing after lunch. Probably one of my enemies put in a word there. Oh well, it could be useful to know.

And finally in another I get the timing for the hearing. It's first period. Yay.

The rest of the night I spend mostly playing in my toy world, creating pretty lifeforms and flying and enjoying the scenery. Something about it is, for lack of a better word, getting more real than it was. And there's a feeling that if I wanted, I might let it overlap with some important archetypal places. I okay the beginning of that. We'll see where it ends up.

The mental alarm I set goes off.

I'll leave this body in bed for now, and make a new one, uniform already on, to send over. That me appears beside the bed in the dark room, and I can immediately notice the effects of one of the edits I had big me doing - my new tapetum lucidum making the dark room almost day bright, if a bit grainy. That automatically gets switched off by a chromatophore layer as I step out of the room into the lit hall.

I've noticed when I make new bodies, they don't come out sleepy even if the body I was using overnight is still having difficulty getting her eyes open. Something about sleepiness is physiological, and of course the new body is fresh off the rack, as it were. You'd think it would mess with my circadian rhythm, but I automatically adjust that.

Testing one of my other edits, I head out overland, walking through the early morning hard frost and feeling the extra heat generating brown fat I've added pick up the slack. Everything working as intended. Taking a short cut off the lit paths and over hardened snow, the pre-dawn stars seem bright, gleaming off the crust of ice.

Kirby's barrel-shaped mass looms ahead, and I find that my sorcery senses are lighting it up now with a shimmer of magic. The field-shapes of wards, perhaps? I can't see the lines like Nikki can, but I think I'm starting to see the spells. All well and good.

Once I get inside, it doesn't take me long to find Miss Grimes. There's only one room in the non-restricted area with human lifeforms in it, although surprisingly that has two. The name tag confirms it's her office. I knock. The time is 5:30 exact.

"Come in!" I do. There's her - and Tansy. Ah, that makes sense. A smile between the two of us.

"Good morning", Miss Grimes says. "It looks like the Headmistress has a sense of irony, as she's made us each other's problem. I gather you two know each other?"

"We're good friends", I agree.

"Excellent, then Tansy can introduce you to your duties. You report to me, but under normal circumstances I don't expect you'll need to bother me. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am."

Following Tansy out, she gives me a grin when the door's shut. "She's not so much of a grouch as all that. She's just mad at having been tricked by the Head. Alright, so we get here at six, and clean up the classrooms. We have to hurry about that, because there's a bunch of eager beavers that come in early to do their own stuff, and particularly the three little menaces. They're the ones I'm normally spending my time watching, because every day it's a new daft plan."

"Pinky and the Brain?"

"Like that, but they're all Pinky and they all think they're the Brain. How are you with cleaning?"

"I can do it fast if I use tentacles."

"I always forget you can do that. What's it like?"

Time passes easily as we chat and get things ready for the day's magic students.

Over in Poe, I decide to get up. A teleport gets me out of bed, Erin is still asleep, but stirring. I switch pyjamas for my gown and head out to shower. Truthfully, I don't really need to wash, these days. But it's an indulgence and I'm not complaining about the views, either.

I'm playing around with copying Nikki's artwork of yesterday in the shower room mirror, when I hear a giggle from behind me. It's Nikki herself. "So you gave yourself makeup powers?"

I nod. "Seems useful. Although I'll need to learn more patterns."

She nods. "You'd best learn how to do it the sticky way too, but yes, I admit I sometimes wear an illusion glamour myself. It's definitely faster once you know the effect you want to achieve. I'll have to point you at a few good sites I know."

"Thanks, that's appreciated."

A few minutes under the water helps me relax, focus, and feel ready to face the day. 'Find my own song', said the dream. I wonder how I should go about that. And where, since I have an inkling the effects could be large. Not here, tempting as it is. Stepping out of the shower, I teleport myself dry, and reform the robe around me, getting an "aww, no fair" from Ayla, who only got a glimpse.

"Gotta wear clothing to walk around in the halls, they haven't changed that rule yet", I tease.

"You think they will?", Billie, floating overhead bare-ass naked, asks, curious.

"Dunno, I'm new to this too", I admit, "Maybe? It wouldn't surprise me if the nudity taboo was one of the ones that faded out, but most people have other reasons to wear clothes in the middle of winter."

"True, I forget that sometimes." She wouldn't need a parka on the frozen nitrogen plains of Pluto.

Billie has always struck me as the sort who dresses by rote. Acceptable comfortable clothes, no effort at a 'look'. I ask, "Would you go around naked if you could?"

"Might", she ponders. "Wouldn't hate the easy morning routine. Might hate the ogling, although they know not to start anything."

"Let me be the first to encourage that", says Ayla.

"Something we agree on!", Vamp, also with a smirk. "Billie, feel free to be naked around me *any* time."

"Sure, I'll remember that", Billie smiles, unworried.

Okay, I think that taboo might well be eroding. Fun fun. I'm curious to ask Tansy what she feels, but right now we're occupied.

"This is Estelle, codename Clover. Irene, codename Palantir. Bethany, codename Abracadabra, usually shortened to Abra", Tansy introduces. "Usually known as the three little witches, or ruder words to that effect."

"Pally doesn't like to be shortened", Clover points out, which gets her a furious glare.

"And", Tansy continues, "this is Jules, codename Parallel, who will be working with me."

"Yeah, we know, she gave us enough essence to light our wells", says Palantir. Then to me, "We owe you a favour for that."

"Ask us for anything!" Clover says with a grin.

"Except like, homework, or to be good, or boring stuff", Abra adds hurriedly.

"Only a little of that at most", Palantir agrees. "Or we'd go crazy. We can't sit on our hands all day, we have plans."

"Like you're sane right now", Tansy says. "Seriously, we already had this talk. You lit up, you don't need to run around making crazy plans to steal essence any more."

"Not plans for essence. But that's not the only kind", Abra says.

"We were thinking we could raid Circe's lab and read all her spells", Clover says, with a cute moppet smile, "Now we can see the secret door, you know?"

"I really can't see that ending well", I say. "Also I'm pretty sure she's had them all memorised since, like, the late Mycenaean era. And barging into her lab would probably see the three of you turned into frogs."

"They might be quite cute as frogs", says Tansy, pretending to consider the idea.

"True but Grimes would yell at us", I say. "Also frogs are hard to hold on to. Goodness knows where they'd get into."

Which sets the trio off snickering at the idea. "Maybe frogs might not be such a bad idea", Palantir says, which gets conspiratorial nods from the other two.

Tansy just looks at me. "You see? This is why I'm grouchy in the mornings."


	112. Part 112

# # Part one hundred and twelve

"Now!"

I look over at Clover to see what she means, but she's looking at something in front of me - Palantir, stepping up, and she puts something against my forehead, where it sticks. A piece of paper? Oh, and I suddenly can't move, frozen like a statue. Right. Magic piece of paper.

"Yes, nice work, Abra, Pally! You got 'em both!" My eyes are locked forward annoyingly squinting at the paper, but my other senses can see Clover high-fiving with her friends.

What to do? Well, let's take a leaf out of the book I used to rescue Paige. In the corner where none of them are looking right now, I make a new body, floating and camouflaged, eyes and mouth shut. None of them catches the flicker as my camo syncs up with the room. Good.

"Let's go!" Palantir leads them out, I follow.

Meanwhile, I examine the spell on the paper. I could just rip through it crudely, 'Hulk smash' style, but Grimes wouldn't thank me for tainting her classroom. So let's see. A multidimensional, essentially mathematical structure, although indexed by a few linear points. But if I reach in and cut where the chain is weak... and the piece of paper falls off my forehead. It's a moment's work to cut through the spell on Tansy too.

"Damn those brats, I was getting dry eyes already", Tansy is angry, but sounds resigned. "Let's hurry after them and see if we can catch them before they do something awful. If we can even find them, now."

"Already on it", I grin.

"How... oh. More than one body, right."

"And a few other tricks. They went this-a-way."

On the other side, I move smoothly through my Tai Chi form, trying to watch and copy the way Chou and Toni do the chi flow, since I can see that now. While we're doing it, Nikki says, "So, there's something I should tell you all, particularly Toni."

"So spit it out", Toni says with a grin. "What's with the preamble?"

"It's just a bit weird", Nikki admits, as we shift and dip and swoop together. "I seem to have attracted a handmaiden. Or someone who has decided to appoint herself as one."

"What? Who is it?" Toni's amused.

"Not one of the kids here. A spirit, but one with physical form. She's of the court of the West. She calls herself Koehnes." The word sounds like 'Kayness', only not quite. Irish? That isn't a language I've learned yet, I should rectify that.

It takes a couple tries for Toni to get the sound right. And I think the second was her being stubborn. "So this hmm, Kayness, is like, oh hey, I'm your servant now, and you're cool with that? Lemme guess, Unga-Dunga is all for it?"

"She is", Nikki has evidently given up on poking Toni for her deliberate mispronunciations.

"Well damn. Okay, so why are you telling us?"

"I told her to stay out of my room overnight. But you'll probably meet her when you go back in. We'll have to manage that carefully. She's territorial."

We come to the end of the Tai Chi form, feet back together, arms lowering. Toni chuckles with a slightly predatory smirk. "Oh I imagine this will be *fun*."

Poor Koehnes has no idea what's coming.

In Kirby, I've followed the three little nuisances through the hidden door to the magical side, and along a familiar route, directly to Circe's room. Evidently they're as good as their word on sooper sekrit plans.

"Are you entirely sure we won't get turned into frogs?", Abra asks, staring at the doorway, sounding worried.

"Fairly sure", Palantir allows. "I don't think it would be allowed."

"Oh come on, scaredy-cats", says Clover. "Look, I'll go first, and then if I'm a frog, you'll know, won't you?" She pushes the door open and steps in.

No obvious alarms, physical or magical. Although I'd happily bet that *something* just got tripped.

"See! Now get in here, I bet she has gazillions of spells just waiting to be copied."

As the other two happily head into the room and pick a chest of drawers to raid, I decide things have gone far enough. "I really wouldn't touch that." Showing just my eyes and mouth at first, then dropping my camouflage. "That belongs to a mage who could probably cook you all into tasty snacks just by looking at you. I doubt her spell-books are at all safe for beginners." The chorus of panicked squeals at my first reveal is satisfying. Followed by three grumpy, defiant frowns.

I'm surprised, myself, though, when their expressions turn back to terror, and a voice beside me says "So should I carve slices off you for gyros, or cut you into cubes for souvlaki? Or maybe grind you up for a nice meat pie, do you think?"

Okay, she snuck up on me, and that shouldn't be possible. I set a bunch of threads to investigate that, as I say "Perhaps only a little light roasting for a first offence?"

"The things I keep in my private files would not have been so gentle." Circe smiles and it's the kind of smile you really don't want to see. "No, I think in fact, some time as, hmm, frogs would be... educational. And if the lesson is not learned, I know some excellent recipes for frogs' legs."

Tansy and I make it to the room as the three are protesting, "No, wait", "Please, we'll be good", and a despairing "Ribbit!". A terrarium grows up around the three frogs out of the floor, before they can hop away in a panic.

Tansy stares, caught between amusement and horror, but pulls herself together and says, "Um, we were supposed to be watching them, and they tricked us, sorry."

"That's quite all right", Circe smiles. "I'll watch them now. You girls can be on your way."

And so we do.

"That woman gives me the grey shakes", Tansy admits as we head through the tunnels towards early breakfast. "No chant, no wand, they just changed."

"She got the jump on me, and ten minutes ago I'd have bet you good cash that wasn't possible", I agree. My analysis reports back. "She slipped a spell on all four of us and just stood there without anyone seeing or feeling her until she chose to be seen. I missed it because I wasn't looking and it was oh-so-subtle." I won't miss it next time, but still...

"Lucky she's on our side. Mostly." Tansy hugs me, and I'm not sure which of us is comforting the other, as we make our way into the Crystal Hall.

Breakfast brings tasty food, and two bits of interesting news. Paige tells us she's graduated from just having her soul-side in Sara's dream room, to being constantly on the open internet. She's having fun there, and learning to split her attention to more than one stream of interaction at once. Close to achieving full multi-minds, then, which should up her capabilities by a few orders of magnitude. Nice work, Paige. Supposedly she's been picking up something of a cult of her own, too. Hackers have started praying to her. Sometimes, she tells us, she does what they ask, if it's good, or amusing.

And the second bit of news is Mrs Horton standing up, getting people's attention, and saying "Good morning, everyone. I would like everyone available from Poe to please convene for an assembly straight after breakfast. Thank you." I'm presuming that's a yes on our plan of last night.

Heading back to Poe with the Kimbas, we all follow the stream of people headed to the same place as before, the gym room.

Mrs Horton hushes us all with a clap, then says, "Alright, I'll just begin while people are still arriving, since we don't have much time. We've all noticed the upswing in attempted bullying and hate speech, although thankfully actual bullying has been mostly prevented so far, for which I thank our upperclassmen. Initially I thought it was just a reaction to us coming out. But I've been informed there may be more to it than that. Miss Parallel, since your influence is involved, can you explain?"

"It's influence, yes", I say, pitching my voice to carry. "Part of what it seems to do is break down people's in-group, out-group thinking. I think in the end it should make people less prejudiced. But right now, mostly what it's doing is making their consciences prick them, and they're projecting that discomfort onto us. Which explains why most of the nonsense we're getting is from would-be capes with a homophobia problem. They aren't handling the cognitive dissonance well. Problem understood, what's the solution? Well basically, we had a bit of an idea, or rather, it was mostly Vamp's idea, so I'll hand over to her to explain. Take it away, Vamp."

"Alright! So, I thought, if we can't beat sense into them with fisticuffs, how about we show them what's what with fabulousness?" Vamp grins. "Hi everyone, I'm Vamp, I'm new here, and yes, I'm the scary-hot supervillainess you've heard of, but that wasn't by choice and I'm nice now. So... my first idea was to have a Pride parade, but that's no good if we'd all be frozen into pride-sicles. So instead, how about a Pride themed fashion show? Nothing too serious or requiring months of planning, just light-hearted fun. Everyone gets to show off their looks, be a little glam, be a little silly, remind the rest of the school that we're the ones in the right. And I was thinking if we rush, we could put something simple on for the weekend."

Mrs Horton picks up. "I've spoken with the Head, and she concurs it's a viable plan, and proposes we take over Laird this Sunday. There are lots of large rooms there, as well as smaller ones we could use for breakout shows. What I want to hear is whether people think they would enjoy that and be up for it?"

Instant hubbub. A hand goes up. Mrs Horton says, "yes?"

"Could we do shows and stuff? Like sing a song or do a play?"

She nods. "If you can commit to doing it, and have it ready by Sunday, then tell me and I'll book space for it. It doesn't have to be polished or fancy."

Another hand. "We know there's LGBT and changeling people in other cottages, can we include them?"

"Yes, feel free to, if you know them. If they've got something to contribute, tell me. If they just want to dress up and come along, then they're welcome."

She pauses to see if there's more questions, then says, "all in favour say aye".

The shout is overwhelming. So that's settled, then.

My exeat request comes back, I'm authorised to visit Cecilia by direct teleport, provided I always remain with her while off grounds.

And now it's time for first period. That's a four way split then: necromancy class, Dyffud's fighting class, devisor lab, and the hearing, which is in Kane.

Maybe in devisor lab I should figure a way to connect links to the phone system, since I need to call Cecilia? It would be useful to be able to take calls the same way I can take emails. Bonus if I can multitask them. I need to learn how wireless phone protocols work.

As I arrive at Dyffud's class, he's waiting outside with a grin. "Come on, follow me, change of venue. Had a little suggestion from Caitlin, so we're going to be trying out your abilities in the sims. I heard of your little sparring match with Chaka. She'll be doing the same program later on today, It'll be interesting to compare how you do."

I nod. "I'd be interested to know too."

He adds, "Oh, and I also heard about your disciplinary hearing. So I felt you might like something simple, physical and very violent over on the other side to take the edge off."

That gives me a grin. "Yeah, I think I could use that."


	113. Part 113

# # Part one hundred and thirteen

"I take it you've got your costume with you?" Dyffud asks as we walk through the tunnels. In reply I just shift into the costume mid step. He nods, "Good, and the mask please. The place we're going has cameras with public access, so I'll be using your codename exclusively."

"And yours?", I ask.

He shakes his head. "For me it's just a convenience to have a codename for the MID. I don't have a secret identity."

The door says 'Arena 99', and we go in, into a fake cityscape, around a corner, into a park, and out onto a soccer field. A man in a white gi is approaching. He registers inanimate on life sense.

"What are my parameters?" I say. "I presume, don't use powers?"

"We're testing martial applications only, today. No warping, no new bodies, no tentacles, no sorcery, no weapons unless the opponent uses weapons, and no powered weapons at all."

"Strength, speed, dexterity, fast thought?"

"All permitted. But don't assume they are baselines. The opponents will get harder and more numerous as we practise."

"Should I avoid killing?"

Dyffud looks at me. "Quite the sharp edged one, you've become. Behave as if you encountered this situation in the real world, and circumstances gave you the constraints on your powers. It's your decision whether to kill."

I nod. Then face the opponent, arms up but palms facing him. "Sir, why don't I buy you a beer? We don't have to fight."

"Enough talk", he snarls. He steps forward into a martial stance, making the gi snap. Pattern recognition: zenkutsu dachi, basic front stance, karate. Then he attacks, a simple stepping straight punch (speed calculation: probable baseline) that I have no difficulty slipping inside with a turning step and brush block, and countering with a palm strike into the ball of the shoulder, dislocation. Followed by a knife hand to the carotid baroreceptor. He stumbles, drops.

"Good, if somewhat ruthless", Dyffud says. "Let's continue."

I step back, the ANT's shoulder joint pops back into place, he stands again.

The room they're using to hold the hearing looks like it's normally a classroom, but the desks have been shuffled around to give a sort of long panel for the supervisors who are acting as judges. There's another for me and space for an advocate if I had one, which I don't. In the back there's a line of chairs, in which Tansy is sitting, she's here as a witness. There's a man with her, who I assume is her lawyer. Also on that row are Dr Carstaires, and Ms Hartford. As well as Jade, who I've asked to come in as my witness.

The supervisors introduce themselves, as they take their places. Darren Englund, who I know. Charles Lodgeman and Mr Merrow, no first name given, who I don't. Lodgeman looks how I'd expect a native American to look - jeans, plaid shirt, he's wearing a colourful beaded pendant that's shining with magic to my senses, and his hair is braided back. Mr Merrow looks like a Hollywood extra hired to play 'unnamed lawyer number three'. Middle aged, pinstripe business suit, you wouldn't glance at him twice in a crowd. Probably evil.

Englund says, "I'm told that the other supervisors are delayed and can't make it. So, Doctor Carstaires, why don't you begin by presenting the problem?"

"Ahem. Very well. The facts that are not in dispute are that on the morning of last Tuesday, the sixteenth, Miss Parallel here did something to the mind of Miss Walcutt. As a result of that something, her personality was instantaneously changed and she took several actions that would have been anathema to her previous self. She publicly announced that she was a lesbian, and entered a relationship with Miss Parallel. She has also announced to several teachers that she had been cheating in their classes, with predictable consequences for her grades. Yes, Miss Walcutt?"

Tansy has her hand up to interrupt him. "I said I like girls, and I don't think I like boys. I'm not really sure if that's permanent, I might still be bi and just put off by past experience."

"Duly noted", Doc Carstaires says. "Things that are asserted, but somewhat in dispute, are that what Miss Parallel did was deliberately complete the process of Influence change in Miss Walcutt, that is affecting everyone else in a more gradual way. And that this was consensual. Obviously it is consensual now, but the Whateley canon of psychic ethics does not regard consent after the fact as valid in the case of psychic influence, for obvious reasons. Neither does the law. Conversely, some, who may have ulterior motives for the suggestion, intimated the belief that Miss Parallel overwrote her personality to create a sexual plaything for herself and remove an enemy. Yes, Miss Walcutt?"

Tansy's breaking in to say, "We weren't enemies. Wyatt Cody should be able to confirm that she met me and negotiated a ceasefire between me and the Kimbas, the Saturday before. Respected adversaries at worst, and that's why I was willing to confide in her."

"Confide what? Yes, Miss Parallel."

I look at Tansy, "We both have good memories, we should be able to replay our conversation word for word, if that would help? That would also answer your question."

"Very well, you may go ahead."

And so Tansy and I act out our conversation of that morning. Her anger at my having given the three little nuisances essence enough to light up. Her frustration at how stuck she was. My analysis of the problem and suggestion of a way out. Her consent. "Okay... okay, fuck my life anyway, hit me. Do it, now. Before I chicken out." And me doing it.

We end the replay at the point we were heading in for breakfast.

Englund says, "You talked her into it, then?"

"I talked her into it", I agree. "I felt it would be to everyone's benefit and especially hers. Persuasion is not against the code of ethics, unless it's backed with mental force."

"It is when it's based in trickery", he replies. "What you did changed her personality drastically. Arguably, overwrote it."

I say, "This is where I'd like to call Jade as a witness. During an incident last year, Jade's spirit other-self was temporarily trapped inside Tansy's hallow. She has seen Tansy's old personality from the inside. She can testify as to any changes."

Mr Lodgeman says, "I'd like to hear that."

So Jade gets up and says, "It's like Jules said, I was kidnapped for a while, forced to ride along, and I saw what she was thinking. She never liked the things she did with boys, except physically, but putting on a smile was an act. She felt attraction to girls, but used to feel disgusted with herself and deny it. She liked the power, and the revenge on people, but not the process of gaining power. And she wasn't happy at all. This was before Jules got here to the school."

"And why is this relevant?", Englund asks.

I say, "It establishes that she didn't get overwritten. What happened was that she became unable to be dishonest with herself, and rather than fighting it, decided to embrace it."

Doc Carstaires says, "They've both agreed to a full scan by Louis Geintz, and this seems like a good time to call him as a witness." And Foob is suddenly there. "Louis, have you scanned these two, and can you confirm what they say is true?"

Foob says, "I can confirm that they remember the conversation happening as they played it back, that Jules's intent was to persuade, but with mostly benevolent intent, although some suppressed hope for a sexual relationship, that Tansy voluntarily consented, and that Tansy's personality altered because she is no longer capable of any significant amount of self deception, and chose to embrace her real self. I can't confirm the claimed mechanism of the change because it doesn't show on my scan, but I can confirm they both believe what they said about it."

On the other side, I'm fighting several opponents now, and they're good, some of them baseline-good like Dyffud, some exemplar-fast and strong. I can't just power through and splat them like I could at first, I'm having to use subtle combinations of elements, sometimes more than one at a time on different hands or feet, just to manoeuvre them into a mistake I can turn into an effective strike. I'm having to run up my timebase a fair bit to take everything into account, and stretch my exemplar speed to the edge. From the outside, I imagine I must look like something out of The Matrix. Dyffud is grinning. I haven't killed anybody yet, although I've been tempted.

And on the other, other side, Sara gives me a hug while we listen to Circe talk about how necromancy has affected history. Nobody mentions the terrarium she wheeled into class, or the three frogs inside it, one in a pointy hat, one with a ball, one with glasses. I think everyone figures what's up with that.

The man beside Tansy stands. "If I may speak?" That gets a nod from Englund. "I was hired by my client's father to represent my client's interest in this matter. Miss Parallel, is it possible to undo what you did?"

I shake my head. "I don't know of any way how." I try to figure how to explain it. "The way she is now, is what being human looks like in the world after I changed it. The way she was, is just the left-over inertia of what used to be. I can't put her back into an unnatural state, I doubt I have the ability, and it would be unethical even if I could."

"And what gives you, a child, the right to decide that?" He turns to the supervisors. "It's clear that these children think they consented. But I do not accept that a child has the right to consent to be so altered, or to perform such an alteration on another child's mere say-so."

Tansy looks shocked. "Hey! You're fired, mister."

Her (ex?) lawyer shakes his head. "You can't fire me, you're non compos mentis. I'm here to represent your interests, not your feelings. At your father's request."

"Then you are my enemy." Tansy gets up from the witness seats and stands next to me. "And we are both on trial because *some people* want to make every decision for us. Which I do not accept. You, not Jules, are the one seeking to overwrite me to fit your idea of who I should be!"

Englund says, "Order, please! This is a hearing, not a shouting match. Miss Walcutt, sit down." 

She drags up a chair and sits beside me.

The lawyer says with a smirk, "I'd ask this hearing to please apply the school's resources to undoing what has been done to my client. And I'd ask that Miss Parallel be separated from her, and ideally, expelled from this school, so no further harm can be done."

Over the other side, Dyffud says, "yame!", and when our fight has ground to an ignominious tangle of a halt, he says "I saw real anger in your eyes just then."

I nod, extricating myself. "That asshole lawyer of Tansy's is trying to force her back into her box."

"And that would be justification for killing your opponent?"

I review my last movements. And it's true, I was going for a kill shot. The realisation makes me sit down suddenly on the ground in shock at myself. It's only a bot, it wouldn't be really dead... but I was feeling and fighting like it was a man. And I was going to take its life. Fake life. Whichever. Ugh, this is bad.

Dyffud dismisses the opponents with a wave. "Stay sitting, take some deep breaths. You've had a shock, and seen your own darker side. When you fight, you don't just confront the opponent, you confront yourself. Until then, you were precise, rational, your violence was measured. But your anger made you, briefly, willing to kill not out of need, but for spite."

I nod, dumbly.

"Alright, lesson over for today. Let's meditate."


	114. Part 114

# # Part one hundred and fourteen

The hearing is briefly noisy after the lawyer's demand, which hides my grim look, and then the shock on my face as Dyffud rubs my face in my mistake on the other side. Tansy notices it though, and puts her arm around me, which helps.

Ms Hartford stands up. "Quiet please! As deputy headmistress, I need to make it clear that the school does not take instructions of that sort from parents, nor from their lawyers. Not in regard of their own children, and most certainly not in regard of other third party children the parents don't like. They may take their child out of the school, or they may accept the administration's judgement. If we started we'd never stop, you all know that."

She takes a moment to look at each of the supervisors, to underscore that point, then continues. "That doesn't mean that a valid issue hasn't been raised, though. Has Miss Parallel done harm to Tansy? We do take a broad view on consent here, our students are old enough to make their own choices, but a child cannot consent to be harmed. Some have described what was done as equivalent to a lobotomy. I hope for humanity's sake that isn't so. But Tansy has been a protegee and a student of mine, and I find myself wondering if her abilities are now crippled."

Tansy puts her hand up, and Mr Lodgeman nods to her. "Alright, thank you Ms Hartford, and before I go on to answer you, I would ask that this hearing removes this man", gesturing to the lawyer, "We have just heard how he has no place here as a representative of my father, and myself I disown him. Please have him ejected from the proceedings, since he clearly only intends to do mischief."

The lawyer puts on maximum smarm. "I am here to represent you, Miss Walcutt. I ask that this hearing recognises that you are non compos mentis and that I am your rightful representative."

It is, surprisingly, Mr Merrow who replies, the first time he's said anything other than in self introduction. "You are both asking us to assume the conclusion you would prefer and then act on it. But it remains unproven."

That gets a nod from Mr Lodgeman. "I agree that this hinges on whether Miss Walcutt has indeed, been lobotomised, or if she is still capable of representing herself. So far, I have not seen anything to make me doubt her intelligence. So, Miss Walcutt, please proceed with your answer to Ms Hartford. The hearing will take both your requests under advisement. I find myself interested to understand what this claimed influence does."

Tansy nods. "Alright, I can accept that. It has been two full days, roughly, since Jules changed me. That's a short time to explore a new mind, but I can tell you what I've experienced so far. I am unable to be dishonest with myself. My empathy is deeper and more intense than it ever was before, and my conscience has very sharp teeth. I have been forced to face my previous actions, and I have cried over their harmful consequences. I have also been forced to face my own rejected self, who ironically is what you might call my nice side. Previously I pushed that down and pursued power. Now I find joy in kindness, and in sharing love. I am blessed, that Jules and her friends accepted me into their circle so readily." She looks at Ms Hartford. "I suspect what you're wondering is, am I capable of being sneaky? Am I capable of being a spy, or some other sort of undercover operative? Because yes, it's obvious what you were training me towards. And the answer as far as I can tell, is 'it depends'. Am I capable of doing something horrid and completely against my conscience? No, I am no longer capable of that. Am I capable of sneakiness in pursuit of good ends? Yes, absolutely. Ironically my teacher here has been Jules, who is very sneaky herself, when she is planning to help or heal someone, or take down someone causing harm."

That gets a grin from me. Ms Hartford looks thoughtful. She asks, "So, do you no longer care about power? You've walked away from the situation with the Alphas, it appears."

Tansy shakes her head. "I think I might enjoy it if I obtained it honestly. As myself, by my effort and my merits, yes, I would like it. I liked it before, and that part of me hasn't changed, but back then I thought it could be mine if I obtained it without earning it. Now I recognise that as impossible. The lie would own the power, and I would end up running around serving the lie. That was the trap I was in, before. With Jules's influence, I gained the honesty to let that candy go, and then I could pull my hand out of the jar. But maybe some day I will have power truly of my own, and I think I would luxuriate in it."

A curious look from Mr Lodgeman. "You wouldn't feel the need to be modest about that?"

"Modesty is one of the things that goes away, I think", Tansy says. "When I have gained something in a way that my conscience is flipping joyful somersaults over, why would I be modest?"

Englund asks with a sneer, "No modesty. Does this mean you plan to act like a hussy around school? I have heard you already dived into a sexual relationship with Miss Parallel."

"What's a hussy, Reverend?" Tansy looks amused. "I'm having lots of enjoyable sex, and will happily admit to it, but I don't plan to do it in public. Or are you asking if I plan to go around school naked?" She considers that. "It might be fun when the weather's warmer. Although I recognise it's against rules now, I don't expect that to last."

"And you are really shameless about this?" He sounds disgusted. Personally I think he's hamming it up, because this is the first thing Tansy has admitted to that might scandalise the others.

"I feel shame when I have done something harmful, unkind, cruel", Tansy says. "I've done enough of them to know that from bitter experience. But I would feel no shame for being naked. I know that I'm beautiful. Sharing it would be a kindness." She pauses, takes a breath. "I recognise that doesn't match what your religion teaches, but Reverend, this is not a religious school. It is a difference of opinion and my position is not forbidden by rules." Reminding him he isn't here in his religious capacity, but as a supervisor of the school.

That gets a harrumph from Englund, but before he can press the point further, Mr Lodgeman says. "I move that we vote on whether to consider Miss Walcutt compos mentis, given her testimony. And I will vote yes. She has amply demonstrated reasoning and thought, and if she is changed, it does not seem to be in a harmful way."

"And I vote no", Englund says, with ill grace. "She has clearly been turned into some sort of wanton slut, and should be placed in care."

The two look to Mr Merrow. And he says, "She has demonstrated the ability to drive you into a corner with her understanding of rules, Reverend Englund. She speaks clearly and does not seem harmed by the change. Her personal proclivities are of no consequence. I vote yes. And move that the hearing accede to her request."

"Seconded", Mr Lodgeman says. Then speaking to the lawyer, "You have been dismissed by your client, and must leave the room, and the campus, please."

The man goes, with a look of disdainful wounded dignity. And I doubt we've heard the last of that business. I wonder how hard it is to get someone emancipated from a bad father? We may need that ARC income for Tansy after all.

Mr Lodgeman picks up by saying, "Given that we have ascertained that the events were consensual, and given that we have not found that Tansy was harmed, I believe this hearing is now over. Do you agree?"

Englund looks grim, but he sighs and nods. "I recognise myself as outvoted. I can do nothing further here."

"I am satisfied", Mr Merrow says. "I do not believe we should waste further time on this."

"Then done. Miss Parallel, you are exonerated, and you may go."

That gets a cheer from me, Tansy, and Jade. Hartford looks thoughtful. Englund, frustrated.

It's the cusp of third period, which means all change in classes for me. I've relayed our victory to Sara, which got me a joyful hug and kiss, and to Dyffud, which got me an amused smile. Although myself I found myself thinking of the violence I had nearly done, over there. Something to speak to the doc about, after lunch.

In devisor lab, my linked phone prototype works well enough I was able to call Cecilia and arrange the exeat, which will be at lunch time. As a design, it's not exactly finished though, since I really want something capable of acting like a call center, taking new calls while I'm already in a call, and making many calls from the same origin. That may be impossible though, since I think it would require special arrangements with the phone company. Or at least it would be expensive. But at least I'll add the hardware support.

Costume design looks like a breath of calm and fresh air after a fraught morning. The me with Sara can go there. I'll vanish the sweaty body with Dyffud. Tansy and Jade have classes to go to, now that they aren't stuck in the hearing. Which leaves me a little at a loose end. Maybe I'll go for a walk to celebrate?

As I'm heading outside, I find myself joined by someone. Mr Lodgeman. "May we walk together?"

I say, "I was heading outside, thinking about just going for a walk to let off the tension. You're welcome to come with me, if you want. Um, it's cold out. The cold doesn't affect me but do you want to stop off for a coat?"

"Thank you", he agrees. "The cold doesn't affect you, hmm?"

"I generate heat."

He nods, as we head for the staff cloakroom area. "It sounds like there might be a story behind that. You know, part of the reason I came here was that hearing, but another part was that I wished to meet you. I've been hearing interesting things about your powers. Particularly, about your ability with song. I find myself professionally interested."

"It's a new thing, and I'm still working out what it can do", I say. "I seem to be able to find the song of things, so far, places, buildings, and stars, but who knows what else. When I sing it, they are... reinforced. I am told it's like creating them, but as what they already are, only more so. They are woken up, and become more aware. A side effect is the creation of essence. And I've found I can weave that essence into a sorcery spell, and avoid the tainting side effect."

"Which you disapprove of?"

"It's inconvenient. If I do a big sorcery then it messes the place up. I already owe Nikki one favour for having to do that and then getting her to fix it."

As we walk outside together, the sky is very blue, and the snow is bright. Thankfully well within the capabilities of GOO eyes. Mr Lodgeman says, "The one who invented sorcery, he did not see the taint it causes as a mess."

"He and I are on opposite sides", I say. "Sorcery is an us thing and it suits me, but I do have plans to find ways it can be gentled. Song seems to be one of them."

"Opposite sides in regard to what?"

"Humans. I'm for them, he's against."

"Ah." And we walk quietly together for a bit.


	115. Part 115

# # Part one hundred and fifteen

"You know, I came here today to sit as a judge at that hearing, but I also came here to meet you." Mr Lodgeman looks at me, as we walk. "I've been hearing lots about you. I see myself as something of a protector of this place. I was involved in founding it, you know? And I often work with Darren Englund, who also sees himself as a protector. But we also have our differences. He seems to have decided you're the very spawn of hell itself. Me, I'm undecided."

I say, "He has a thing against me and Sara both. Since I met him, he's tried to talk me away from her, he's tried to take my guardianship with trickery so he could force us apart, and then by sending his minions to kidnap me, and since then he's undermined me and tried to sow doubt about me at every step. He does seem to run his classes fairly, though, that I can say for him."

"But he was not fair at that hearing", Lodgeman nods.

"It felt like he was desperate", I agree. "That was some bad over-acting. And he went and painted himself into a corner with Tansy, the school isn't founded on religious principles and he knows it. It's like, he wasn't thinking straight, he should be smarter than that."

"He needed to see Tansy as having been harmed, I think, because of her contact with you. And she *is* changed, in ways that don't meet his ethics, but seem to fit nicely with yours."

I ponder that, and the implied accusation. "When I wrote the change into the life laws, I wanted to go for something that would protect the future of all life. I couldn't afford to impose my own standards when it would apply as much to amoebas as humans. This wasn't 'be good in the ways I see good', it was, seek beneficial mutualism, seek complex beauty. Those were the gaps in the original laws. But I'm aware that itself was a values choice. And... I suspect that something of my nature, and my values, have spilled into it, and guided the form it takes."

"If I understand it, you made yourself the living embodiment of the new law", he says. "It seems reasonable that it should follow your lead. But it leaves us humans wondering what that will mean for us, and how we will be changed."

"You heard my radio interview?" He nods to that. "Then you know about as much as I do. Since then, Tansy is the only example of someone who's been influenced all the way. And you saw some of how she was changed today. That's all I have too, observations and inferences."

"And what would you do if I asked to be fully influenced, myself?"

"Take it to the Head for pre-clearance. You're an adult, but I gave her my word. If she says yes, then I'd do it. Do you actually want that?"

"At the moment, no."

I smile. "You're testing my responses, then?"

He nods.

I say, "Well for what it's worth, I'm being straightforward with you." A moment, while I consider whether to say it, then I decide to take the plunge, "Um. To be even more straightforward, I kind of need to add a bit to what I said about Reverend Englund. I know he's your friend and I know I've only got circumstantial evidence so far, but, I have a suspicion that something has its claws in him. I'm not sure if that relates at all to his problem with me. Only that he blanked out in kinda telltale ways, and his anti-influence routine has a gap in it, which he conspicuously fails to notice."

He gives me a sharp look, followed by a thoughtful pause. "I've had my own suspicions", he finally says. "It's nothing I can act on, yet." Which is interesting.

"It may not even matter", I say. "So long as he keeps his hands to himself, I'll leave him alone. He seems to mostly do good."

He nods. Then says, "I've heard about that, your neutrality between heroes and villains. Is there a reason you've chosen that particular stance?"

"Several. I need to focus on the larger picture. Villains are also human, and all humanity, all life, is what I'm trying to protect. Also if I went around forcing people to be good I'd become a tyrant, with everything bad that entails, and I'd provoke a backlash that would be completely counterproductive. I prefer to simply be myself, and they can follow my example if they choose. And also I know villains I like and trust, and heroes I don't. So I try to take people as I find them. My rule is, I protect myself, my family and friends, the school, anyone I feel is mine to look after. I'll stop evil if it happens in front of me. But otherwise I don't go looking for fights. And I hope that if people know that, they'll approach me without fear. Whether they're villains or not."

"Then the Necromancer..."

"Was afraid of me. He came after me pre-emptively, lost, couldn't let it go, came after my people, and I destroyed him. I... think maybe I was guided to do that. He certainly did deserve it. But it's the kind of thing I'd like to see less of."

That gets me a thoughtful nod.

I'm having quiet fun in costume design, trying to make more 'heroic good' variants on my costume, although I like the simplicity of the present one. Tansy's busy and can't multi-mind yet, so I'll have to put off checking in with her until lunch, but I can check in with Donna. So I tell her how the hearing went, and fill her in on my worries for Tansy. She's glad I'm okay, and Tansy is too, and she agrees to check into what's needed to get someone emancipated, in case the father (or his lawyer, who I really didn't like) becomes an issue.

She also fills me in on the latest fallout from the business with Darrow. It seems the local police have confirmed that I won't be charged for any of the three deaths, they apparently rate it as 'necessary, prudent, and in good faith', which is what a vigilante action has to be if you're using powers, for it to be legal. There's consideration of giving me a medal in various places, but a lot of the bigger jurisdictions are worried that his friends at 'the Grand Hall of Sinister Wisdom' would crash the party. Yes that really is the name, it seems magical villains are short on senses of irony. So I may have to go without my ticker-tape parade. Oh woe is me. Seriously though, I reassure her that it's fine, and I really don't want a medal anyway - certainly not for killing someone, because that's a bit of a tragedy whichever way you slice it. She calls me sweet. I call her sweet back, it devolves into throwing the sensation of being hit with a pillow at each other, and we end up giggling like mad things. It's nice to let off tension.

In the lab, I'm finishing up my phone. I gave up on the call center idea, because I'd need to pay a lot extra for it, but I did make it able to take multiple SIM cards and act as independent phones. I ran into another problem when I considered how it would handle addition and deletion of bodies. Cell networks don't like it when one phone is in multiple places. That would probably get me blocked for SIM cloning. In the end the solution I worked out was to make the thing in a sort of unassuming puck shape and store just one of them in my room in Poe. It's on the links, so I don't need to be near it. All it needs is to be somewhere with reception.

As I'm finishing up, Bunny comes over to look. "Whatcha making?"

"Phone. One I can use over the links." I vanish the cladding to show her the workings.

"Oh kewl, there's like, practically nothing there."

"Antenna and SIM stuff needs to be this side. The rest of it is soul side. I've got one of those gate chips I figured how to make, connecting them. Mini version of a generator for the power, and that's all there is to it."

"Yeah, that's gonna change stuff alright." She looks thoughtful. "You know, I kinda almost understand that math you dropped on me? It took a couple nights of nasty dreams, mind you."

"Sorry", I look sheepish. "I didn't realise it would be that bad."

"Water under the bridge", she waves it off. "What's weird is I... think I'm feeling what it's connecting to. It's like I'm able to see in another direction now. And I don't know if that's real or I broke my brain."

"Want me to help check?"

"Oh kewl, can you? Um, if it isn't dangerous, that is."

That makes me consider. "I don't think so? It might make you stretch yourself a bit further outside human norm. If you really are getting in contact with your soul part, you might be able to start offloading mental processing to that part of you too. Paige already can, and she's learning to do more than one concurrent mind in there."

She grins. "You're changing us, aren't you? All of us humans around you. Making us more like you. But I don't hate the thought of being able to think more than one thing at once, it sounds useful."

"It's very useful", I agree. "Okay, so if you want, what I can do, is soul dive with you, and then you can see for yourself if your new direction is what you think it is. We need some place to sit down, so nobody falls over."

Luckily the lab has a more than slightly dinged up sofa, which we can use. The thing looks like people blow stuff up on it for funsies. And also spill their chemistry experiments, although that may be devisor coffee. Poor sofa! But it will suffice.

Bunny says, "Okay, so I do what? Just sit down?"

"And I sit beside you and hold your hand or something. Physical contact makes finding your soul a lot easier. I could use links, but it's just less fuss when you're right there."

"Okay but like, totally platonically."

Which makes me giggle, and I'm still snickering when I hold my hand out for her to take. "Don't worry, I don't bite. Much. Unless asked nicely."

"Oh you!" She laughs. "Alright, alright. Here we go."

We dive together, me pulling her along, and a few moments later her soul comes into view. Which gets an "oh wow" from her.

I say, "Look over there, that bit is a bit stretched. But it doesn't look harmful to me. Does this feel familiar?"

"Yeah, I mean, you kind of make it into pictures, and I'm looking at it from math, but it... feels kinda the same? Like, it proves that I'm seeing my actual soul, which is weird."

"I think I do math at lower levels and just translate it automatically", I say. "I'm beginning to suspect a few of my powers are kinda hiding the workings that way. But yeah, this is you. Surface layer of your soul, there's deeper layers, if you go a little deeper you'll see your other-selves, which is like, reincarnation except concurrently."

"And the links is down here?"

I point to it. From this perspective, it looks like a busily spinning ball of complicated runic squiggles on interlocking orbits, and there's lines reaching out from it. "That's the control code, and you can see the connections. You've only got a few lines out, but it uses mesh networking so that you can reach anybody. Don't try to peek the source code while it's running, you'll give yourself a splitting headache. I can teach you the workings in a more easy to follow form, if you're curious?"

"Very. Very very curious. My goodness. This is like another new world." She grins. "Oh I cannot wait to get good at this, there's so much potential."

"I'm definitely happy to help, whatever you want."


	116. Part 116

# # Part one hundred and sixteen

****18th January, Whateley, lunchtime****

I've been looking forward to lunch. It'll be my chance to catch up with Tansy properly, and I'm headed over to Cecilia's to get my dress made.

Calling her up on my new phone, I say "I'm ready to jump when you are, is the store clear of looky-loos?"

"It's clear."

I decide to throw a new body over to the coordinates I remember, since it won't be starving for lunch like the existing bodies. So I appear there, and smile a greeting. "Hey there."

"Hey you too. So if I understand it, you're here for a formal dress? Something for Miss Dennon's class?"

"Yeah. Although I thought I'd also ask if you can do me a sim suit like the ones Ayla got? And also I kinda wanted to talk about what happens if I decide to change shape, or if, well, I just naturally do on account of growing."

She grins. "Up to a point, I can adjust what you've got. Add in panels, extend the legs, and so on. The tailoring will suffer, slightly. After that point, or if you want a precise fit, you'll need to get refitted and I make it from scratch. Downside of being a teenager, sorry. You'll be relieved to know it mostly stops being an issue after you hit eighteen. Then you need refits, like, every decade or longer."

"Very likely longer for me, I won't age."

That gets raised eyebrows. "I should be so lucky."

"If you'd like, I can patch you that way. I'm not supposed to do medicine, but this is preventative, not curative. I've already done it for Doc Bellows at school, and Donna."

"The Donna I've met?"

"The same. If she doesn't have an unfortunate accident, she'll still look as good a century from now. And fit in that gimmicked suit."

There's a pause as she assimilates that. "Okay, that's heavy business, give me time to think that through. Meanwhile, clothes, I know. So lets get you checked over to see if there's been any alterations since last time."

The me who was out walking has headed back towards school, and after thanking Mr Lodgeman for his company, I vanish that body. So the me from devisor lab and the me from costume class head towards Crystal Hall, one for each table, as usual. Vamp seems to have joined the Pack table, which is nice. Tansy isn't sitting down yet, but I can see her in line. One of me goes down a few in the line to join her.

"Hey there." She gets a hug from me.

"Hey you. So, they think I'm okay, huh?"

"I think you're more than okay."

"Tease." She snuggles against me. She switches to talking on links so half the school doesn't overhear, "Some of what I said there surprised me. I'd really be okay being nude in public. I wouldn't mind the eyes on me at all. To be honest, I'd probably be okay having sex in public, if it wasn't for worrying about how it might upset other people who didn't choose to be there. I really just don't seem to have any cares about showing it all off, any more. That's not how I'm used to feeling at all."

"Maybe we can go half way, and let the Pack watch you", I send the feeling of a teasing smirk while keeping my outside poker face. "I bet they'd enjoy the show. Maybe you'd enjoy being the show, too."

That gets a ferociously red blush from Tansy. "I... would. Oh god, I didn't know that, I really am the world's biggest slut."

"Unlike some people, I don't think there's anything wrong with that at all."

"You wouldn't", She gives me a punch in the arm. "Ass. Cute ass. Damn, but I want to grab your ass. Um, I have a free period after lunch."

"I'll ask the others when we get to the table", I grin. "I'm sure some of them can come and watch."

She just blushes and looks down, which is the cutest thing ever.

And then I think of the kicker. "Want me to invite the Kimbas too? I mean, most are gonna say no, but I bet a few would be interested."

I didn't think she could blush harder, but she manages it. "Um. God. That would be humiliating."

"Which is not a no."

"It's... not a no. What the fuck am I turning into, that I want them to watch?"

"You aren't turning into anything, Tansy-beloved."

She finishes that off. "I'm just finding out who I really was all along. That's the strangest feeling. But it's freeing too, you know? I like the damn humiliation, I admit it, I accept it. And yes, I liked you watching me with Cody, because it was so damn humiliating. Even while I was trying to stand on my dignity, with a dick up me."

"I could taste that in your orgasm that you threw me", I grin. "We're going to have so much fun together."

"God help me." She has a grin of her own. "I think we genuinely are."

Cecilia has apparently had to make some slight adjustments to my stored model, because of the edits I've done since. I didn't change enough to make things not fit, but they could fit with a slight bit more perfection. So the dress will be the first thing off the new model. We go with a halter neck design that makes the best of my form, with the soft silky fabric over the nipples (and my conversation with Tansy) making them stand up like little peaks. One doesn't wear a bra with these things, it would be spoiling the fun. But the intensity of my response gets curious looks from Cecilia. None the less, we continue, and she has a couple of them made, one in silk as white as my hair, one in dark claret that brings out the glow of my eyes. Plus matching heels.

"Your choice if you want patches over the nipples to make them show a little less."

"Let's not. If push comes to shove, I can force-override that reflex. And in normal circumstances, I don't mind a little showing off."

"Your funeral." She grins. "All right, on to more mundane matters, you wanted a sim suit? I think we're going to have to do some testing with that, because your powers come from odd places, and I'm not sure I can intercept them all and send them through the suit."

While we're testing suits over in Dunwich, one of me already has her tray full and is heading to the Kimba table. I touch in, and get various grins. Billie says, "Hey there Jules, congratulations on the hearing. Nice fight too."

That surprises me. "You got to watch that?"

"They let us watch it in team tactics. I suspect that video will be doing the rounds of the school", Ayla says. "Evidently Dyffud thinks you're a lesson to us. I'm no martial artist, but I could see how fast you were learning there."

Toni nods. "Every time they used a move or a counter, if you didn't know it before, you knew it after. You were passing their level over and over, he had to keep dialling them up. Some of that stuff even has me thinking of how to apply it. You're not bad at all. And I definitely want a rematch, this time by the book."

"Happy to", I grin.

Me on the other table takes her seat beside a very red Tansy. Which gets some odd looks. "Jules, what have you said to her to get her to glow like that?", Paige is the first to ask.

"If you want to find out, and you don't mind hearing about sex stuff, group up on links." In the end we get everyone, Vamp and Gypsy included. "Okay so, Paige you probably watched the hearing?" That gets a slightly guilty nod. "The rest of you probably only heard I won it. But what we covered there was how she'd changed and whether it was harm or not. One thing Tansy found when she was asking questions was that she wouldn't mind being naked in public."

"Let me be the first to support that", says Vamp, sounding amused.

"Then you're gonna love what we just talked about in line", I say. "She said during the hearing she didn't plan to have sex in public. She said just now, that was because she'd be worried the people seeing it wouldn't have consented. And when I offered to go half way and just invite the whole Pack to watch... she said yes. And that she has a free period after lunch. Invitation's open."

"I'm in", says Paige. "Me too", that's Erin. "Me three", Vamp. "I'm going to enjoy this", from Jet. Hippolyta considers, then nods. "I will watch." Jamie scrunches his face up thoughtfully then nods. "I'm curious, I'll watch." And Gypsy, who I hadn't expected to, says, "I will watch." Sara of course is enthusiastic. "And I'd love to, dears. Thank you Tansy, that's a lovely offer."

"I haven't even finished what we talked about", I grin. "I'm proposing inviting the Kimbas too. I'll make sure they know the rules, and I won't let them make it weird. But it seems our lovely Tansy here likes a pinch of humiliation in her exhibitionism." Which makes Tansy lean up against me and look down and blush harder.

That has them looking at each other. After a moment, Paige says, "Still in", and that gets a chorus of the same.

I give Tansy a kiss. "There we go then. Our little private, public celebration. Now we'll just have to see what the Kimbas say."

Playing with sim suits, I've found I can make my GOO powers cooperate, but I have to choose to do it. So long as I don't make any slips in anger, like I did with Dyffud, it should be okay. I'll have to watch myself carefully. As Cecilia and I were talking about powers, I had a chance to bring up links. The whole truth up front, including the bit about not dying. Which got her thoughtful.

"So if you upgrade my body, you can make me ageless, and if I'm on links, and you have a snapshot, you can catch me if I die, and bring me back?"

I nod. "Yup. Want it?"

She takes a moment, then sighs and says, "Yes, I do. What do I have to do?"

So I explain how links can be passed on, and for a snapshot and upgrading her physically, I'll need skin contact and a couple of minutes. So she gets a link, and then I hold her hand, and clear up the (extremely small) amount of existing age damage, and patch her with the fixes that will maintain it. "And there you are, done."

"I don't feel any different."

"Tell me that again a century from now", I grin.

She nods. "I'm gonna get this verified. But if it's true, the dresses and the sim suit are free. You already more than covered the bill."

"Glad to be of service."

On the Kimba table, they're listening aghast as I explain the plan with Tansy. I did warn it was sex stuff, but they told me to go ahead.

Ayla summarises, "So basically, you're offering for us all to come and watch you fuck Tansy, and she's into it, because it would be humiliating to have us there?"

"She's into it because she likes to be watched", I say. "But she likes the humiliation of being seen by her former enemies too. Think of it as an extra apology, perhaps."

Jade says, "We're in. All of us. Even if we aren't sexual, because it's her." That gets nods all round. Although I think Nikki and Toni are a lot more into it than that, going by the blush.

I say, "There'll be other people there doing stuff. Some of the Pack are sexual with each other. The option will be open to you too, but consent is the rule. If you're asked, it's okay to say no. And don't try anything without asking, but do feel free to ask, it won't be taken badly. And if you're just not into any offers, tell them beforehand, and you won't get any. But if you can't stand seeing it at all, or seeing each other's sexual sides, now is the time to back out."

Nobody backs out.


	117. Part 117

# # Part one hundred and seventeen

Lunch break is not quite over as the whole lot of us, Pack and Kimbas together, and two copies of me, make our way over towards Sara's room. Tansy doesn't look nervous but she's holding my hand, and I give it a squeeze.

As we walk I take the chance to check in with Sara on something that was worrying me. "We've got combat movement after the break, you had to beg off a couple days ago when we were worried about Tansy, are you going to have to do it again? I plan to split, but..."

She grins. "Secrets, dear. Wait a little while, all will be revealed."

When we all get to Sara's room, it has made itself noticeably bigger. Beanbags are strewn around. Everyone fits in without crowding.

Sara immediately takes the opportunity to grab attention. "Alright, before the main act, I'm going to rotate the room, because I have a secret to discuss. I trust everyone here, even if you don't all trust me completely. You'll understand in a moment why I have to keep this under wraps."

The outside door vanishes as the room becomes private. "Alright, here we go." She holds her hands out, and between them a ball of black tentacles forms in the open air. It expands rapidly, tentacles sliding over tentacles, as if it was pouring out from an invisible vent. Forming a column, contracting into the shape of a body, and suddenly its surface is skin - it's a perfect bare-ass naked copy of Sara. And it opens eyes. "I don't have more than one mind, like Jules, yet", Sara says from her original body. Then the second one picks up saying, "But I can manage more than one focus. Two, for now. I expect to expand that." She walks over to her closet, and starts getting dressed in a spare uniform. "I think you can all understand why I don't plan to noise this around?"

It's Ayla who ends up speaking for everyone, "I can see why you don't want the anti-Sara faction getting wind of that. Not least because of the way you do it. The, um, tentacles rather put a hole in the nice safe miss demon image."

Sara-copy nods. "Quite so. Now then, I need to be off to class, so that I can also stay here and enjoy the fun. Opening the room up again now, no more secrets please." Grabbing a sports kit bag, she gives a wave and a grin and heads out with one of my copies.

Sara-here says, "All right! grab beanbags, people."

Right now I'm making my way to combat movement, to Doc Bellows for my twice-weekly appointment, and down to the testing labs to meet Doc Hewley. I hope whatever he has planned for me doesn't interfere with my concentration up here.

I grab a seat on the bed and pat the place next to me for Tansy to sit. Sara sits down on the other side of her. I make another copy to go sit with the audience to check everyone's okay, as Sara says "You know, there's no obligation in this. You can back out now if you want to."

Tansy shakes her head. "I'm a little nervous with all the people, but honestly, I don't mind it. Which is weird, I've never felt this way before. I suppose I should try and get used to it."

Sara nods. "And do you want me to close the door, like I did just now?"

"We aren't breaking rules, right? Everyone here is consenting."

"We aren't", Sara confirms.

"Then there's no need. If they hear, they hear."

I think Tansy is being a bit brave, and hug her. She leans into the hug. Then the hug turns into a snuggle which turns into a kiss.

Vamp is looking a bit shocky, so the me in the audience grabs a beanbag beside her. "First time for real, huh?"

She nods. "This place is insane. I'm not complaining but... how are the rest of them so blasé?" She looks at me. "Weird enough to have you here and up there too."

"I'm not sure they are, really", I say. "I'm going to go around and check. But they've had longer under the new rules than you, and been close to me for longer." And I grin. "As to me being in lots of places, you get used to it."

"Makes sense, I suppose", she sighs. "Thank you for checking. I mean... I've not led a normal life, I've seen a lot of nasty stuff, and I've been around hookers. But it was never personal, you know? And now I get invited to watch, and maybe I'm getting some myself. I'm not sure what to do with it."

"If you aren't ready, say no", I say. "Nobody here will take offence. And there will be many other chances. If you decide to try it, say yes. Or ask. And it's okay to tell them to go slow."

"Gah. I shouldn't be needing all this 101 level talk, but thank you anyhow, it's reassuring." She takes a closer look at me. "So what would happen if I asked you to suck my dick?" Getting back a bit of the old sparkle with her grin.

"If you ask nicely, I might well say yes." I grin, showing the pearly-whites. "If you don't mind the teeth. They don't get any blunter than this, but I know how to be gentle."

She smirks. Then looks down and back at me. "I, um, since I got here, you've been kind to me. Took me under your wing, smoothed things over with the Kimbas, got in a goddamn stand off with a light saber to save me, even. You're hot and scary, including the teeth, but in a good sort of way, and I think I like you. I wouldn't hate you being my first, um, for real. Please?"

"Then yes, sweetie, I'd love to." I smile. "Whichever way you'd like. I have full control over my fertility, and I don't catch or carry STDs. So we can play whatever way you'd enjoy. No consequences except fun."

She looks up at the bed, where Sara, Tansy and I are now topless and playing fun games of titty caresses while we swap kisses. "Um, may I, um..." She looks at me, "I'd like to see."

"You're welcome to see, and to touch." I make the top half of my uniform vanish. And squirm over in easy reach, on my beanbag.

She wondering reaches a hand to caress, the pointed nails tracing over me. "You're um, the others here, they're um, bigger."

"I can control the size. I picked something that wouldn't bounce around and thwap me in the face." I smirk. "Want 'em bigger?"

She shakes her head. "How you are is fine. Mine are even smaller, if I don't force it."

"You've got an intersex body, right?", I ask.

"Yeah. Right in the middle. Both bits work, and what I look like, that depends a lot on how I spin it with clothes and stuff. But I've kinda picked looking like a girl, while I'm here. And I um, hear you're intersex too?"

"Wanna see?" I grin, which gets a nod, so bye-bye goes the skirt, and I've got a very happy pole showing that I enjoy the scrutiny. "And yes you may touch."

While I'm playing over there, I decide to make a new self to wander over and check in with Jade, who's snuggling against Billie. "Everything okay, senpai?" Which makes her giggle.

"Yeah, I'm good. We both are." She looks up at Billie. "I think we both kinda got our 'ew, cooties' nonsense worn off. So it's just nice to watch our friends play, even if it isn't our game. Look at you though, a face full of Tansy on one end and Vamp playing with you on the other, doesn't it get confusing?"

"Nope, just fun", I grin. And with a glance over at Jet and Paige playing together, "Looks like you're making some memories yourself."

"Frustrating that I can't get at 'em", she sighs. "But more fun for later, I guess."

I nod agreement with that.

Other me has arrived at the testing lab, and been shown right in, Doc Hewley is there to meet me. "So, I hear that you had an encounter with this sword, Monday two weeks ago?" It's the same orichalcum blade, in its wooden case. Evidently Englund realised he hadn't heard about it.

I nod to the question. "Yeah. Burned my hand back then, but there were special circumstances."

"And you didn't tell me about it since. Naughty." He chuckles. "We do have our ways of finding out, though. Let's just begin by seeing what happens when you grasp it, like last time."

Pulling my timebase up high so I can try and figure out the effect, I move to reach for the hilt. There's definitely something going on at the chi level. The sword is ridiculously yang, like standing next to the sun, and it's pulling my yin to the surface - and my GOO side is very yin. And I think, if I touched it, it would blast that away, and that's why it burned me before. But I'm a little more capable that way now - what if I pull back on my yin and fill my hand with yang? Takes some doing, but it's possible. And my hand closes. No burn.

Timebase back to normal and I pick it up. Wave it around a bit. Dyffud's right, the real thing has a weighting completely different from my sabers. I probably should get some practise with them.

Doc Hewley is looking disappointed. But then he gets something in his earbud, I can hear it chatter, and he says, "I'm told you went fast there for a moment. Did you do something?"

I nod. "Figured out how it works. This stuff won't harm me any more, I think."

He sighs. "Figured it out in an instant and closed the weakness. You know, quite a lot of people have expressed worry that you don't have any weaknesses on your MID."

"I'm weak against soul level attacks from something bigger than me", I say. Then thinking of earlier, "I'm susceptible to magic if you can sneak it past me, but that shouldn't be easy. Still, Circe managed it once. And I'm basically wide open psychically if you're able to tolerate a class X mind."

He nods. "None of which helps us much. The most practised wizard on campus slipped a spell past you one time; I gather you don't expect her to be able to do it twice?"

"Not the same way. But she has a three thousand year start on me. Experience beats untrained power."

He nods. "And your other vulnerabilities require inhuman abilities to even access."

Thinking of Bunny, I say, "Probably more humans are going to be able to access the soul side soon. And Foob can read me like a book. Appearances to the contrary, he's still human."

"And write?"

"He hasn't tried, I don't think? Other than his visual projections. But I doubt it would be easy. I'm not really organised like a human mind any more, and my selves cross check each other."

He nods, and makes notes.

In combat movement, we're running an assault course outside. It's cold and slippery, neither of which bothers me. Both Sara and I are nimble and can lift several times our own weight, so the obstacles are pretty trivial even without using claws or tentacles, and I'm concentrating on proper form, getting the evasive running technique right, minimizing how long I'm skylined, and so forth. Molly, Chou's girl, is two ahead of me. She goes up the tic-tac really well, I'm impressed. I'm waiting my go at the tic-tac and watching her dashing down the length of the wall - and then she stumbles, and jumps bad. Oh heck. She hits the platform on the other side boob first, which has to hurt. And then she's just holding it by her fingers, and falling, and I skip my turn and dash around to try and help, but I'm too late and I hear the thump of her impact on the ground. Damn, I should have slipstreamed or something, feet are slow! Even with claws punched out of the front of my sneakers. Mr Anderson is already there. "Don't get up, Molly. We don’t want you to hurt yourself more. Help is on the way."

I say, "I'm a healer, I'm allowed to do first aid, may I help?", and meantime get Chou on links. "Molly's hurt! Nasty fall. Probably not serious but she might want you for comfort."

That gets a quick "On my way."

Mr Anderson gives me a nod.


	118. Part 118

# # Part one hundred and eighteen

Memories of my first aid lessons in another world. I run through the checklist. Danger? None except the puddle of puke. She's unconscious, but breathing, she turned to the side before she vomited, so she hasn't aspirated any. No visible external bleeding. No visible broken bones. Pull her arm near me out, other hand over her face, lift the knee furthest from me and pull to roll her onto her side. Recovery position, safe from choking if she up-chucks again. And then I can take a look at the internal stuff.

Fingertips on her cheek, and my awareness spreads through her body. Priorities first, any brain injury? Doesn't look like it. No torn blood vessels, no serious concussion. She'll have a headache and probably puke again, but that's it. No internal bleeding. She bumped her boobs something nasty, and she'll be black and blue all over, but no bones broken. A few strain micro-fractures that will heal themselves, but I give them a nudge to speed it up. Pulled muscles and tendons, micro-tears, nothing serious.

"She's lucky", I say. "Bumped and thumped but that's about it." I can see Chou jogging over from one direction, and a medical team from Doyle from the other, with some sort of hover-stretcher bobbing along behind them.

Mr Anderson nods. "Thank you. You got here in a rush", indicating the large divots where I kicked up icy turf trying to dash here. "What were your intentions?"

"I was trying to catch her" I say ruefully. "I should have thought and used slipstream, it's much faster. And if she fell bad, I could do emergency repairs."

He nods thoughtfully. "I heard about yesterday morning. You could have saved her if she was fully dead?"

"Rebuilt and reattached, yes. But I'd prefer to avoid her having the trauma."

He nods. "Well, thank you again, but I think your services here are no longer needed, and you should make space for the medical team, and if I'm not mistaken, her girlfriend?"

I grin. "I called her over as soon as Molly fell."

"Convenient", is his assessment. Then as I get up and step back out of the way, he says, "It's obvious you don't need today's run as training. So could you please TA the class for me, while I handle this? The rest of them can stop their run at the tic-tac, and just come down off the wall."

"Of course", I agree.

Chou's sudden departure from Sara's room gets worried looks from the others, but I explain "Molly fell", and then a few moments later, "I've checked her over, no serious injuries", which relaxes things back down again.

On the bed, Tansy cuddles naked against me. "Isn't it confusing, being there and here?"

I think she knows the answer and it's just idle musing, but still, "Not for me. That me and this me are separate enough we don't share our focus, and we don't distract each other." I grin over at the third in the bed, my beloved Sara, "Got to wonder how miss spooky tentacles is doing, though, she's new at it."

"I'm doing very well, thank you very much", Sara grins, winding a twist of Tansy's pretty blonde hair around her fingertip. "You know, you're hardly going to distract *me* with lust. Lovely as you both are."

"So if we wanted to distract you?", I tease.

"An interesting problem in mathematics, perhaps."

Tansy laughs, "Mathematics she says", and rolls over to give a mock-pout and then a kiss to Sara.

Giggles from the bed make Vamp look up from her fascinated exploration of my parts. "Um, sorry, I wasn't ignoring you. Just kinda focused. I mean, I've. you know, with my own, but..."

"It's different when it's someone else?"

She nods. "You can see more, feels different too." A pause, then, "You aren't quite the same arrangement as me, no balls, why?"

"I never liked the aesthetic. I figure that preference told my BIT what to do. They're there, but they're up inside, next to my ovaries. Not as effective fertility wise, but it means I can get kicked between the legs without having to do the curl up in a ball and go ouch thing. And I control my fertility anyway, now, so no real downside."

"Huh. You know, I could shift myself around like that? But I'd need to drain someone first, and I'm getting the feeling that might be hard in this school."

"Definitely best to ask first, if you don't want detention. But there's probably people who could be a volunteer donor and not feel the loss. Chou, perhaps, although you two have history. Nikki. I'd offer, myself, but it would need to be super slow and carefully monitored."

"Worried you'll blow my socks off?"

"Or melt you into a puddle of grey goo from class X exposure. I'm really not very human and I can't be sure that my energy is at all safe." A smile to soften the seriousness. "Besides, I have other ways to blow your socks off. If you wanna?"

She grins, then looks thoughtful. "Nah, leave it at this, for today."

I nod. "Works for me."

She leans back on the beanbag, looking at the ceiling. "You know, I haven't felt this much like a blushing virgin in, I dunno, ever. Thinking about a thing's just thinking." She sits up and looks at Tansy, who is gasping, open mouthed, arching on the bed in ecstasy. "Seeing makes it real. There's parts of me, wants to be that much out of control, and there's parts of me that want to run a mile."

"When you get a chance, and I bet they'll offer it, say yes to the counselling services here", I say. "I'm with Doc Bellows, he's nice. Literally with, right now, one of me is over there as we speak. They kinda know how to handle the fuckery that mutant kids get put through."

She nods, although looking reluctant. "Maaaaybe. I'm not sure I want someone poking around in my head like that. There's monsters down there I wouldn't wanna wake back up." Which I can understand.

This time around, Doc Bellows and I have been talking about the hearing, and how I went berserk for that one moment in the sims. We've talked through what happened, and how it shocked me.

He's looking thoughtful, just pausing for a moment with steepled hands, and then he says "You know, I think he set you up. There you are, being stood up in public and judged, worried for yourself, heartsick about the danger to Tansy, and he knows you're going to feel any injustice there like a knife in the heart. And at the same time he has you fighting, probably harder than you've ever fought in your life, against not one opponent but several, with abilities and skills that stretch you to your limit. No space left for conscious thought."

Which makes a lot of sense. "He wanted me to kill."

"To lose control and lash out, because you are normally very controlled, and he wanted you to meet what lies underneath."

Which is not exactly exoneration, but still. "He wanted me to meet my dark side."

"For lack of a less dramatic term, yes."

I sigh, and lean back on the chair. "I guess he succeeded. My dark side is angry with mean people, and could kill as easily as breaking a twig. I'm controlled because I can imagine what that would be like." Mountain of raw corpses, bloodied hands with claws out, screaming anger and violent death at a red moon. "There's a level of myself where I'm a rage-monster like something out of an anime."

"So why don't we start taking a look at where all that anger's coming from?"

And we're back to the reasonable world of counsellors and coffee. "Yeah, seems like a plan."

Keeping an eye on the combat movement class is definitely easier with being able to park a body next to each obstacle. I'm not the teacher, so I limit myself to giving encouraging pep talk to the kids who are struggling. And of course, telling each of them to just come off the wall after the tic-tac, don't try the jump. They've got Molly loaded onto the floating gurney, and then off she goes with the medics and Chou to Doyle.

"Going well?" Mr Anderson is finally able to turn his attention back to me.

"Nobody's dead yet", I grin. "They're all doing pretty okay, although a few of them got spooked by hearing somebody fell. I had to tell them stuff like, you'll be scared when it's serious, too, so keep on moving."

He nods. "I know you've not been in this class long, but I'm thinking of just passing you. Don't think that makes you special, it's pretty normal for the exemplars to test out. But I'm wondering if you could stay on as a TA?"

Unexpected, but I can live with that. "Sure, I'd love to."

He smiles. "Great. When they're all through, herd 'em up, and we can talk about how they did."

With the bell having gone for end of fourth period, I'm headed out of the mental health annex at Doyle. As I walk through the entrance, I notice someone pretty obviously loitering. Jadis Diabolik, at a guess, recognisable by the white hair with horn-like forelocks. "Miss Parallel, could I have a moment of your time?", she says.

"Sure." I'm curious what she wants.

"Shall we walk? I've got a free period, I know you're headed over to psychic ethics."

I nod. Evidently whatever it is, is not something to be discussed inside where ears might be listening.

Once we're outside, she says, "So, I gather you know me?" I nod. Beside the time she called in to the radio station, I've read about her, and seen her around. She continues, "I'm something of a fixer, I'm someone people come to when they want something arranged. Or when they want a go-between."

"Someone wants my help, but they don't want to approach me directly."

That gets a nod from her. "That person wants a thing done, but they want to keep it confidential. They couldn't just come over and talk to you at lunch, because it would draw attention. Are you willing to promise to keep this in confidence, sight unseen, whether you agree to do it or not?"

That's interesting. It implies a lot of trust. "I give my word that I won't reveal it, unless it's harmful or seriously unethical or puts people at risk."

"None of the above, it's just embarrassing. Alright. It's Jobe, he wants to meet you."

Which brings back amusing memories. Not that I'll say what I think, I don't plan to reveal my reading to Jadis. "I'd be happy to meet him, at a time and location of his convenience. What does he want me to do?"

"He's infected himself with a serum he made, that's turning him into a female drow elf. I'm told it uses regenerator cells. He wants it stopped, and the changes undone."

As I thought. "I'll take a look. No promises of results. And if I take action, I may need to bring others in on the problem, including staff."

"Acceptable, subject to his option of refusal. He also wants to know what it will cost."

That makes me think a moment. "He probably won't trust this, but the answer is, no cost. I'm someone who doesn't hate him, I'm willing to come and take a look and see if I can use my abilities to help. If he wants to see it transactionally, he can see it as a favour. But I'm neither a flunky nor a hireling."

She winces at that. "I'll tell him. He won't like it, but I think he'll take it."

I nod. "He has my email. He can contact me to meet, anytime, anywhere that I can get to without an exeat."

"Which does simplify things. Alright, thank you, and pleasure doing business."

I smile. "Any time."


	119. Part 119

# # Part one hundred and nineteen

Psychic ethics turned out better than I had feared. A small class, and most of the people there were on the young side, making me suspect they were actually learning it for the first time, rather than being forced back in as a remedial chore. Late joiners like me, perhaps. The formal text of the canon of psychic ethics isn't too long, and we went through the whole of it, for my benefit, Doc Carstaires reading it out, section by section, then asking us all a few questions on each part to make sure we understood the phrasing. Then the rest of the class he gave us a series of ethical problems that we had to figure how to deal with. Some of the dilemmas were subtle. How much should I change my behaviour based on something I'd inadvertently picked up? I'm not telepathic, yet, but I suspect I will be, so it's a valid thing to ponder. My own attitude of 'don't butt in if they aren't asking, but maybe take a few quiet steps to smooth their way' seems to fit the canon fairly well. My approach of 'maybe convince them to ask' is a mite more iffy, but hey, I recognise it's skating on thin ice. With Tansy, it feels like it was right. But that isn't precedent.

While I'm crunching on ethical dilemmas over there, our little group in Sara's room has had to break up and head to various lessons, Tansy staggering out on wobbly legs with a smile and a glow, and that leaves me and Sara alone to snuggle.

"Something I was wanting to ask you", I say, leaning against her as she boots up GEO on the computer. "Realms, like the one your dad has, or this room, how hard are they to make?"

"Oh, fancy one of your own?" I can hear the grin in her tone, even if she's facing the wrong way for me to see it.

"Might need one. My dreams have been bothering me to find my own song." I figure she understands what kind of song I mean. My true nature, amplified.

"And you worry it would have a blast radius, hmm?"

"Yeah", I sigh. "It's just worries and guesses, like, what if it full-influences everyone in a multi mile radius, what if it puts out more essence than is safe to be around, what if it just bends their all-too-human minds like toffee? But with worries like that, there's no way I can do it here, at school. Still, I feel like I'm going to need to do it somewhere."

"Daddy's realm is no good?"

"It's *his*", I shrug against her. "Feels like it's not mine to do that in."

"He probably wouldn't mind, you know?"

I sigh. "He's a sweetie and I know he wouldn't. It's the fallback option. But it would be better to be off on my own, in my own place."

"Would it?" She turns and looks at me. "You're a life power, not a solo power, love. You've defined yourself into the middle of all the webs of relationships of all the living creatures in the universe. This universe, specifically. I don't think anywhere else is going to be as much your place as here is."

I ponder that. "Then maybe it has to be here."

She nods. "But the caveats still apply. Quite the dilemma."

"Not an urgent one, but it feels like I need to do it... kinda soonish."

She winces. "Well, if I have any helpful ideas, I'll let you know. I've got nothing offhand, but I'll give it some thought."

"Good enough for me", I grin and lean back against her.

After we've all got changed from our outdoor exertions (or in my case, changed to a new and clean body), Mr Anderson herds us together in the sports hall we use as a base for physical lessons.

"Will the following students please stand forward." And he lists a few names, mine and Sara's included. I recognise the people I'd seen finding the class easy.

Then when we're all arranged together up in front of the class, he says, "As of right now, I'm passing you for this class, congratulations. None of you will be required to attend further lessons in combat movement this term. However, Miss Parallel has already agreed to help me TA the class, and I'm asking now, are any of the rest of you interested? Raise hands please."

Sara's hand goes straight up. I guess the others are cool with having a free period, because their hands stay down. Mr Anderson nods. "Alright. The rest of you are dismissed, Miss Waite and Miss Parallel stay behind, please."

As they're filing out, I catch a whinge from my old friend Sweetheart about how it makes sense that this class would be TA'd by demons. Which just amuses me. Maybe Sara and I will get to cut loose on them a bit, insert evil laugh here. After all, I know what she can do when she plays red team.

The bell for the end of lessons goes as Sara's finishing up on GEO. Looks like the bi-location experiment has worked out well, although I'm not sure how much she plans to continue to use it, it's a bit more limited and a lot more secret than the thing I do. While she and I are reviewing future lesson plans over in Laird, I decide to head back to Poe and chill, with a stop first at the library to pick up a book to read. I'll make another body to go do maintenance.

As I wander over, I check in with Chou on her link. Seems like Molly got discharged from Doyle and is presently recuperating in her room, well rubbed with Kimba bruise salve, so that's good. Then as we're speaking, there's a pause in the conversation, then she says, "Sorry, I'm getting dragged into some martial arts nonsense, it seems there's some stupid huge fight brewing between the dragons and the tigers. I'm gonna pull Toni in on this, I'd ask you along too, but I don't want to get you in trouble for the armband thing."

"It's cool", I say. "Call me if you need my help. I can jump to your link."

"Will do." It's a curt end to the conversation, but she's busy, and I can deal with that.

Getting to Poe, I get waved over by Billie, who is watching something on a laptop in the Kimba Korner. It's... a video of my fight in the arena, someone has uploaded it to a public site. I guess Dyffud was right to worry about cameras. Billie grins. "It's getting emailed around. Everyone's saying you're really impressive. Toni was raving about it, before she got called away for some martial arts thing. At first she thought you'd been holding out on her in your spar. But then she went back through it slow, and said you learned stuff as you went along."

Not something I consciously remember doing. "Play it over, I'm curious, I didn't get to watch myself from outside", I say.

She nods and rewinds it. "I've watched Toni fight any number of times", she says, "She's all style and fancy moves and dancing, and I know she's way better at it than you, but I think there's something of the way I look at fights in how you move. I can see you're always trying to end it. She wants to drag it out and make them feel the loss. You just want them down, KO, fight over."

As I'm watching, I can see what Toni meant about the learning. I'm half unconsciously picking up the moves used against me and integrating them into my responses. "Yeah, I don't fight for glory or really for fun, although it can be fun when it's light hearted, it makes for different priorities. I want them to stop, so I practise that."

"And you fight like it's chess", Billie grins. "Like see there, where you dodged and put that one guy in the other's path, I bet you planned that a few moves ahead. Toni was saying it's how Dyffud fights, and it makes him a nightmare to hit."

"Lemme guess, she wants a rematch?"

"Sooo badly." Billie grins. "Sorry, I think you may be stuck with that."

"There are worse fates", I snicker. Wondering how Toni is doing over in the business with the dragons and tigers. Will they start bothering me too, now?

The end of the fight is still uncomfortable to watch. My expression doesn't change, but I remember the rage. And I can see the trachea punch I was halfway through when Dyffud called a halt.

Billie says, "Everyone's arguing about why he stopped it, but Toni said it was that last punch?"

I nod. "I was going for the kill. Spill-over from the hearing, I was angry, I lost my rag."

Billie nods and puts her arm around me. "I can see that it bothers you. I know the feeling. Mine is more, I did kill, a whole lot. But similar."

"Someone else did, and later they got to be part of you", I say. "But memories feel like memories, I guess. For my part, I need to learn how to handle my rage, because it's definitely down there, we figured that much out in my shrink session after."

"And I need to learn to handle my guilt", she agrees.

"Not doing so badly, from the outside", I say. "You've got your smile back."

She nods and sighs. "Some of that is putting up a front. But yeah. I'm just glad Stygian went easy on me. That could have been so much worse."

Over in maintenance, Jade's gushing about the video too. "Pow, whack, four guys at once and no trouble. You're not bad, you know."

"I'm totally a beginner", I counter, as we dangle from the roof, helping steady a busted gutter as the adults cut it loose with a plasma arc.

"You'd give Jackie Chan a run for his money."

"He's a baseline. And an actor." I grin. "Might be fun though."

The gutter drops loose into our hands. "Okay, haul 'em up", Morrie says.

As we carry the gutter up, I get the weirdest feeling. Like, suddenly there's something utterly huge and powerful and yet somehow serene, on campus below us, and I'd guess in the tunnels from the angle. "You feel that?, I ask Jade.

"Feel what?"

"Never mind. Something big and weird, down that-a-way."

She shakes her head. "Nothing, sorry."

Billie, on the other hand, can sense it loud and clear. "That's Chou. She's got her work clothes on."

"The handmaid?"

That gets a nod. "Yeah. I hope there isn't trouble."

I send a nudge over the link. "Need help?" Keeping it short to avoid distraction.

But the response I get back is calm and unworried. And not Chou's voice, which gives me chills. "Greetings to you, new life power. Thank you, but I do not require your help at this time. Nor that of Billie, who is with you."

"And greetings to the handmaid of the Tao", I say. "Okay, but feel free to request it at any time. I hope to be an ally."

"If it becomes needful, I will do so." Which comes with a feeling of being dismissed. Okay.

After I've relayed the conversation, Billie says, "If she's not in trouble, then she's schooling somebody. I wouldn't want to be them. She can be pretty terrifying."

"Probably the martial arts stuff", I guess. "I wonder if the dragons and tigers have finally managed to seriously annoy the handmaid?"

"Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of morons", is Billie's verdict.


	120. Part 120

# # Part one hundred and twenty

****18th January, 2007, Crystal Hall, dinnertime****

"So basically it's this huge pitched battle, over us, like as in owning Chou and me, would you believe it? As if that's a remotely modern way to behave." Toni's narrating the fight, as we sit around the table. Chou looks a little withdrawn, herself, and isn't joining in. "Anyhow, they're snarling at each other, she lobs this magic flash-bang thing in between them, shazam! And there we are. Except it's not her, you know? It's the other one. Like literally, her clothes have changed into some kinda robes out of a kung fu movie."

"It's a hanfu, Toni. It's Chinese." Chou sounds a little grumpy.

"It's cosplay is what it is. Except I guess, with her it ain't, she's not dressing up, she's the original real deal. You can feel it too."

Jade says, "Yeah, Jules and I were up hanging off a roof fixing gutters, and she felt it."

"And I felt it clear across campus", Billie agrees. "It's like the whole universe is suddenly paying attention in one particular place, it's kinda loud."

"Anyway!" Toni says, grabbing back the conversational initiative, "So we basically try to talk sense into them together, but they're not having it. So she up and challenges them to a duel. One from each side, against her. It ended up being Sledge and her buddy Dorjee, except he wasn't being her buddy right then. Sledge comes at her first with his hammer and she's like, slappy fighting him with a sword that could as easily chop him into chunky salsa. Completely schooling his ass. So the bosses figure, well gee, one ninja at a time doesn't work, who knew. And they call a truce and get Sledge and Dorjee to come at her together. They actually end up working together pretty well, too. At which point, her robeyness takes an exit and leaves Chou there looking like she just woke up in the middle of an ass kicking."

"I caught a couple of Dorjee's tasers and I was down and out, and Sledge missed me deliberately, fight over", Chou says. "And everyone celebrated and was happy, the end."

"I figure, your other-self wanted the truce, and when she got it, she was done", Toni says with a sympathetic look. "That she dropped *you* in the soup is neither here nor there to her."

"That attitude of hers does make me tired, sometimes", Chou says, and sighs.

"I guess it's motivation to train", Toni says. "No use having all this magical skill that goes away when it's done, not when you're done. You're gonna need your own."

That just gets a grunt of agreement. Then Chou glances up, clearly sees someone, and says, "Gotta go. Later, all", and gets up from her seat.

Toni's eyes follow where she was looking. "Huh, Dorjee. I'd love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation."

"Oh no you don't", it's Nikki. "That's her love life and it's none of your business."

"I know, I know." Toni grins. "Meantime, Jules, damn that was some fighting in that video."

While we're dissecting my exploits (again), I get an email, "My lab, after dinner." It's from Jobe, I guess my answer got back to him. I fire back with "I'll be there". I don't know precisely where his lab is in the tunnels, because it would be inside one of the areas I stopped my exploration at a locked door, but I can make a good guess. If I need more, I'll ask.

As I'm heading out of the hall, a girl I don't know says "Miss Parallel, can I have a moment of your time?" She's older, platinum blonde, cute but not exemplar hot. She's also trying to slip a spell on me. Speed up my time, look at it - it's a control and speak the truth spell. I could cut it, but I'm curious, so instead I let it attach, but switch the body to outside control.

I say, "of course, although I'm expected, so if you need more than a couple minutes, I'll make a copy."

"That won't be necessary", she says, probably worried that the copy would be outside the spell. "This is not really an introduction, because you won't remember this, but I'm Spellbinder. I'm a little surprised you didn't break my spell when I put it on you, you have a reputation for being able to do that."

"You wanted me to speak freely, I don't have anything in particular to hide." Let her think I didn't notice the control.

"If you say so." Evidently thinking, more fool you. "Anyhow, I work with Hekate and she's a bit pissed off at you. You led Circe right up to her spell circle and helped trash it, and you killed her protector."

"Darrow? She's better off without him."

"She's had to run and hide, without him. It hasn't put her in a good mood."

"You know, I can offer her sanctuary. Not just from Nikki's revenge spell. She's probably dug herself into a bunch of trouble with the mythos magic she uses. Of course there would be conditions, she'd have to face the music with the human justice system. But it's an open offer. You know I don't go after the villains."

"Which is weird because you hang with the Kimbas, and they're some of the worst goody two-shoes on campus."

"Have you ever heard them go around stirring trouble, when it didn't come looking for them first?" Thinking of Pucelle and her rant. The Kimbas are good, but none of them are exactly capes, except perhaps Chou.

"Huh." That obviously made her think. "Looking back... you may have a point. Anyhow, I'll tell her what you're offering, but don't expect her to take that one up. What she really wants to know is what this 'influence' thing is going to do to her."

Interesting question. "For people who already have a conscience, that seems to get bigger. But as far as I know, Hekate is basically a sociopath, and how influence mixes with personality disorders is an unknown. It will definitely change her. I'm not sure if that will be gaining a freshly minted conscience, or becoming a nicer kind of sociopath. I'm interested to find out."

"Maybe I'll tell you, when I know", she says with a sigh. "Not that I'd let you remember, but still. Okay, off you go before you're missed, and forget this."

So off I go, taking care to cut the spell in a way that doesn't report back. Interesting conversation. She, I think, will grow a conscience.

Speaking of sociopaths, it turns out to be fairly easy to find Jobe's lab. Just look for the biohazard signs and the ranty warnings about doom for intruders. I knock.

"Parallel? Good, come in quickly, before you're seen." It's been just over a week since I last saw him, and his disguise would be good if it wasn't for that time-lapse comparison. His voice has changed timbre, and he's pretty obviously concealing other changes.

I follow him in, through a sort of airlock system of double doors. His lab is busy, but organised. A lot of interesting lifeforms.

"You're late."

"I got a little delayed, someone wanted to talk. But I'm here now. We need a place to work, somewhere where you won't fall in a heap if you lose voluntary muscle control."

"Why would I do that?"

"I'm not just going to scan you and hem-and-haw and make a decision. I'm going to take you with me, so you can see for yourself. Since you aren't used to multiple focus, you might forget your balance. So we need a sofa, or a bed, or you need to lie on the floor."

He hmphs, and nods. "I have a lab bed."

That turns out to be basically a padded gurney with, amusingly, heavy leather bondage straps. Evidently not always used to hold volunteers.

I say, "Alright, get up on it and lie down. I'll need to touch an area of exposed skin, so you'll need to peel that synthetic stuff back from a hand or something."

He frowns, but does it. His hand, exposed, is dotted with spots and patches of coal black. Alright, let's begin. I put my hand over his, and my senses expand through his body. I pull him in.

"This is you, as you are now", I say. "I'm filtering it down, so we're looking at the organ level, rather than a deep dive into every single cell. I'm seeing the whole thing."

I can feel his fascination. "This is... I could do so much with this. Why are you filtering it?"

I zoom the view in on the liver, in on one cell in the liver, and I let him have the whole blast of that one cell. Organelles, busily moving around and doing reactions. DNA getting unzipped and transcribed. Proteins being synthesized. Surface proteins grabbing stuff in and spitting it out.

"Gah! Enough, it's giving me a headache." And we're back to the organ level.

"I have that much resolution and more, in every cell. I can read their genetic code, too. So it's pretty obvious to me which cells are drow, and which aren't. I'll colourise them to show you. Green for original, red for drow." His body goes mostly yellow, with patches of orange and some areas outright red. "All the fast replicating cells have been replaced. All the stem cells, bone marrow, immune system. All the gut lining. Any organ that's been taking damage, the healed tissue is drow. A lot of your endothelium. About a third of your nerve cells."

I think I've shocked him into silence. So I continue. "I'll run through some non-options and options. First off, I'll show you what's left if I just destroy the drow cells." I hide all the red cells from the visualisation. What's left is visibly spongy. "No organs and no blood vessels with coherence. Everything would leak into everything else, you'd go straight into hypovolaemic shock and multiple organ failure. Which you wouldn't feel, because your brain would be having a seizure. I've brought someone back from the dead, but they had enough of a working body that I could boot it back up, tell it to rebuild the head, and then move the soul back in. This, there wouldn't be enough coherent parts to do that. I could try simulating the missing cells with solid sorcery, but it could leave me juggling too many balls. I've been warned against trying to run a whole body on manual. Non option."

We can both see his stomach blanch and churn. "Damn. I left it too late, then."

"For that approach. Given how aggressive the cellular transformation is, that window probably passed after a day. Second non option, is rewriting the regeneration template back to your original body. I don't feel I could do that without risking killing you by messing it up and creating a regen cancer or something."

"So what are the actual options? Stop telling me what you can't do."

"I can make you a new body using the genetic template in the green cells, and move your soul over. Unfortunately I don't have a cell-for-cell snapshot of how you used to be, so it would be more like a clone than a copy. The biometrics might not match, because some of them are developmental. Worse, legally, it would be on very shaky ground. The law right now doesn't track the soul as the person, and legally, I might have committed murder and created a whole new person, nameless, age zero, heir of nobody, owning nothing."

That gets a shudder. "It's like my dad's plan to clone me and copy the engrams over."

"That wouldn't even be the same soul, it would be somebody else with your memories. And it neatly omits what would happen to you, the original."

"There's a reason I haven't taken him up on it."

"And so, last option so far as I can see, other than just doing nothing and letting it continue. Force the pace of the change with sorcery, and guide it under conscious control so it completes safely and with no harm to your personality and without going haywire along the way. Then we can see what options present without the complication of working with two competing cell lines at war in the same body. The downside is, of course, becoming fully drow, and fully female. But that's the option I'd recommend. You've seen my reasoning why."

"And I'd have to become a girl?"

"Your choice whether you see yourself as a girl, or a temporarily inconvenienced boy."


	121. Chapter 121

# # Part one hundred and twenty one

****18th January, 2007, Jobe's lab, evening****

"If I go for the last option, can you do it here and now?", Jobe asks.

"Could in theory, but I won't", I say. "I want to do things by the book, and that means getting permission from the Head and then doing it in Doyle, under medical supervision. But I can't see why they'd object. So my guess is tomorrow morning."

"Damn it, if this was my father's kingdom, there would be none of that."

"Well, this is Mrs Carson's, and I've annoyed her enough already. I'll give her a call now and ask when we can meet her, if you want?"

He sighs. "Do it."

I nudge the Head over links, "May we talk? I have a problem, concerning Jobe, and he and I would like to meet you about it."

That gets a chuckle. "He'd like to meet me, hmm? That's certainly not the usual way around. As it happens, I was about to ask you to meet me about another matter, and I'm available right now, so, both of you, come on over."

Convenient, but also ominous.

A few minutes of silent walking later, we reach Schuster. The admin area is quiet and dark, after hours. Only the open door to the Head's room lights the way in.

"Come in, both of you, sit down. What's the problem?" Mrs Carson gestures us in, looking like she's had a long day. "I presume it's important."

I look at Jobe, making it clear it's on him to start things, and he sighs. "I accidentally injected myself with a serum I've been working on."

"Then we had better get you to Doyle immediately!"

He shakes his head. "It happened Tuesday of last week." Which quiets the Head, and she nods, "Please continue, then."

"I was grabbing for an antidote after an accident, and I grabbed the wrong injector. I have, I had, a serum, which uses regenerator cells. To um, make someone into a drow elf. A female one."

"And why would you have such a thing?"

"To make my ideal girlfriend."

"With a technique that I am sure you know has an extremely high chance of runaway cancer or brain wipe. I can't imagine you intended that to be voluntary."

"There are people who'd accept the risk. I could guarantee them beauty and a life of riches."

"Not in my school. But it seems like you managed to inject the one person who genuinely knew the risks, hmm? And since you are here and not in Doyle, I presume it's not killing you."

"It's not. It's working exactly as designed. Exactly as aggressively effective as I intended it to be." He grits his teeth and then says, "Damn it. I tried to slow it, and I've got it down to a rate that wouldn't finish changing me for months. But I haven't been able to stop it. So I took it to Parallel."

She looks at me, "And were you able to stop it?"

"It's too far advanced. I could destroy all the invading cells, but he wouldn't survive. Nor would there be enough left to repair and fetch him back to. The best I could offer was to use sorcery to complete the transformation quickly, and supervise it to be sure it did no harm."

"And this time you didn't rush to act on your own, but rather came to me", she nods. "Jobe Wilkins, is that what you want, to finish the transformation?"

"It's the last thing I want", he looks sour. "But it's better than spending months as a halfway *thing*."

She nods. "Well, it's karma, and you know it. You get to become what you intended to impose on someone else. I want you to go to Doyle, right now, Jobe, and have them confirm Parallel's diagnosis. I'll call ahead and tell them to expect you. And then we can decide how to handle this matter. But in principle, if they do confirm it, I'm inclined to say yes."

"Thank you, ma'am", Jobe sighs, and leaves.

A couple minutes later, the Head ends her call to Doyle and puts the phone down, turning her attention to me. "Well, well. You must really have shocked Jobe, for him to be so polite."

"I took him with me, so he could see the situation at first hand", I say. "I guess that didn't leave him any wiggle room to pretend it isn't happening."

"And it really would have killed him, to just... wave your wand and undo it?"

"Rapidly. And messily."

She nods. "Alright. Enough on that matter, because I have something else I need to talk about. This concerns the school's negotiations with the federal government. We reached an impasse earlier today over a demand which they insisted is a precondition to resuming normal relations, and which I insisted was unacceptable. To break the deadlock, they suggested I put it to the person implicated. That would be you."

"They want me to do something?"

"They want you, or rather an instance of you, to leave the campus and come with them. They assure me that the intention is to meet persons in authority. When I told them that they could bring those persons here, they said that the President of the United States does not make house calls."

"You suspect that once they have me off campus, they'll try something nefarious?"

"If they did, I would be unable to prevent it."

I think about that. "If they want me in a lab, I'll say yes. If they want to cut me up, I'll say no. If they get insistent, I'll vanish the body and leave them with egg on their faces."

"You realise there are things they can do to you, besides physical violence? They can bring considerable psychological pressure to bear. At a minimum, you can expect a recruitment hard sell."

"Would it help if I had a chaperone?", I ask. "Nikki's dad is military, and I've read he's an honourable man." She'll know what I mean by that.

That makes her pause and think. "Hmm. I suppose that's a possibility. Alright, leave the matter with me, and I'll see if they're willing to accept that."

I smile. "Works for me. Thank you for that, and for Jobe."

She chuckles. "Don't repeat this outside the room, but I find myself tempted to gloat. Honestly, he doesn't just deserve it, it might be the best thing ever to happen to him. Or rather, to her."

"It felt to me like he hasn't yet decided whether to identify as a girl."

"In this case, unless it causes significant dysphoria, I believe she should be encouraged to identify as a girl. The point being to make a break with the past. As a boy, he has been channelled by his father into something of a clone, with a pat answer to everything. Clearly the Wilkins way is superior. As such he has resisted all attempts to change his behaviour. This is, at last, a gap in the armour. It represents an opportunity to undo some of the harm."

I think on that for a moment and then say, "I trust your judgement in this. But he may come to me looking to get his sex changed."

"And you may tell him that I have instructed you that for the moment, you are forbidden to tamper with it, at least until we know more."

I nod.

Over in Poe, there's a knock on my door. Erin's studying, I've already done my homework and was just passing time by reading human-slow. I put the book down and go answer the door, and it's Vamp.

"Jules, can we talk?"

"Sure, come in, unless you want privacy?"

"It's, um, about sex stuff."

Erin grins from the desk. "I can go take a walk if you'd like? I could use the break."

Vamp smiles, "Thank you, it's appreciated." Then when Erin's out of the room, she sighs and leans back against the door frame. "I was thinking about earlier. You know I came here all sex this and sex that? But now I'm feeling like the biggest hypocrite, I can't make myself put the old act on and I don't know what to do. But also I'm kicking myself and saying, Vamp, you had your chance and you bottled it."

I shake my head. "Don't worry too much. It's understandable. To be honest, the middle of an orgy isn't exactly the best place for first times. And you did have a good reason."

"My past." She pulls a face. "I need to move past that. And honestly, I kinda want to be able to be all sex this, sex that, and mean it. But to reach that, well, I have to actually do it. So, um, this is hard but, what I'm trying to say is, would you be my first time? Please?"

I give her a grin and let some of the lust that idea makes me feel show in it. "I would absolutely love to. You set the pace. Tell me what you'd like me to do, or if you aren't sure, ask and I'll offer suggestions. And if you'd like me to take charge, I can do that. You can ask me to stop at any time."

"Here and now? Um, okay... Could I see you naked? I mean, I did before, but it was kinda dark."

"Sara's room is good with the mood lighting", I say, playing by making my clothes vanish slowly, in layers. "Mine's a bit better for seeing things." And then I'm naked. I step my legs apart and stretch my hands overhead like a cat. "Mmm. Like what you see? It's okay to touch."

She's stripping out of her uniform, tossing clothes onto the bed. "Damn, Jules, you're completely shameless. And fucking hot. You realise if we fuck here, the rest of the floor will hear?"

"Then they'll know I'm having a good time, won't they? Maybe they'll touch themselves thinking about it. I know Nikki had that 'I'll be in my room' look after watching Tansy. Now imagine she's hearing you, and masturbating. Would you like that?"

"Oh god, Jules, you're making me harder than concrete." And said bar is now fully visible, slender, shapely, and long. Vamp, naked, is androgynous tipping slightly to the feminine. Barely there breasts, boyish hips, but full lips and a cascade of white hair. Her jutting penis just adds to the feel of ephemeral, slightly alien beauty.

"You're lovely", I say. "I'd love to be inside you, or have you inside me. Or both. I have more bodies, if you want to play double or more?"

The idea hadn't occurred to her, but I can see her grin light up more. "I want to do it double. Both ways at the same time. Shit, it's absolutely the most me I can be, boy and girl virginity at the same instant."

So I make another body, and we say together "I'm going to really love" and one of me says "fucking you", and the other says "being fucked by you" and we both kiss her on opposite cheeks.

One of me says, "I'm gonna sit on the desk, line yourself up over my cock, and when you're ready, push down". Other me says "And I'll line myself up over yours, and push down when you do."

She lines herself up, and I can feel she's biting her lip. "Fuck me, here goes nothing", and she pushes down, I'm sliding inside her warmth as other me slips down and envelops her hard warm length.

"Oh god, this is, fuck, it's overwhelming, don't move, let me take a moment."

I kiss her neck. "Take as long as you need, sweetie. You're lovely. I am really going to enjoy this."

And then she starts to move, and the three of us give in to the instinctive rhythm of it, moving together, touching and exploring each other's bodies as we fill each other and are filled.


End file.
